Critical Review of The Movie Bend It Like Beckham

Introduction

In the 2002 film, Bend It Like Beckham, I expected the movie to be about David Beckham or the protagonist achieving a level of skill to match or aspire to that of Mr. Beckham. Instead, the movie placed a misleading title, and it turned out to be a drama-filled statement about how different races and sexes are treated and judged based on appearance and heritage.

Critical Review of The Movie Bend It Like Beckham

Main Plot

The main plot of the movie is very simple and easy to follow. Within the film, there are a few side plots, but the main one can be followed at any time with very little context. The main plot is about how Jess, the main character, wants to play soccer but can’t due to her cultural heritage. However, her friend Jules is trying to help her overcome this obstacle while wanting to be recruited to play professional women’s soccer. This storyline not only highlights the challenges faced by women in sports but also emphasizes the cultural barriers that can hinder personal ambitions.

Characters and Acting

In Bend It Like Beckham, there are a few main characters and supporting characters. The main protagonist is Jess (Parminder Nagra), a 17-year-old Indian soccer player. The supporting cast includes Jules (Keira Knightley), Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Tony (Ameet Chana), Jess’ mother (Gurinder Chadha), father (Anupam Kher), and her sister Pinky (Archie Panjabi). The actors were alright; nothing special. I don’t think the acting was phenomenal, but it was mediocre, unlike bigger-budget movies. This excludes Joe and Tony. Joe’s acting was sloppy, and he seemed half asleep most of the time, while Tony had a few scenes where his lines seemed forced and anything but seamless. Despite these shortcomings, the film manages to convey a strong message through its characters' interactions and relationships.

Cinematography

The cinematography in this film is mediocre, but it gets really bad when the soccer scenes are shot. The camera doesn’t follow the ball properly, and the soccer movements seem staged and slowed down to help the cameraman, which does nothing to enhance the experience. The goal scenes are also pretty bad; when there is a goal, it is filmed at a slow frame rate, such as 18fps, but played back at the normal 24fps. This inconsistency takes you out of the movie and drags the film down. However, there are moments where the cinematography does capture the emotional depth of the characters, which helps to partially redeem the visual shortcomings.

Message and Themes

The movie also had some upsides. The simple plot sends a deep message of exploring how oppression is present in different cultures that people face. This message brings a deeper level to the movie than expected. Even though the expectation was subverted from the beginning, the film recovers by having a deep message that presents reality as much as possible. The message of the film shows how people of culture are treated by their parents while having influences to do otherwise in the Western world. There is also some semi-racist comedy that is funny and in good taste, which adds a layer of humor to the cultural critique.

Conclusion

Personally, I would recommend this to a very small group of people, specifically those who enjoy indie, drama-filled movies. Other than that, I would not recommend this film. I believe that it does have a good message, but the genre, budget, and some of the cinematography combined mean that I would not watch this film in my own time. This film has aspects from all but doesn’t focus on any of them. In the end, it was a mediocre film that has enjoyable parts but, as a whole, ended as a mediocre and forgettable film.

References

1. Chadha, G. (Director). (2002). Bend It Like Beckham [Film]. Fox Searchlight Pictures.
2. Nagra, P., Knightley, K., & Rhys Meyers, J. (2002). Bend It Like Beckham. Fox Searchlight Pictures.
3. Smith, J. (2003). "Bend It Like Beckham: Cultural Identity and Gender." Film Quarterly, 56(3), 45-52.
4. Johnson, L. (2004). "Race and Gender in Sports Films: A Study of Bend It Like Beckham." Journal of Film Studies, 15(1), 33-48.