Bend It Like Beckham (2002) was very popular, I understand, in the UK. And I think here, too. And in India. And no wonder -- it is terribly cute. It's definitely flawed, but it is nonetheless charming. So charming, in fact, I think it would be just plain mean spirited to cut it down.First things first: should I explain what the title means? Footballer David Beckham is famous for being able to somehow kick a ball in such a way that it curves around the goalie to score. This, of course, refers to more than soccer and is a metaphor for how the characters need to "bend it" to work around their own obstacles.
The basic premise of the movie is that young British Indian Jess (Parminder Nagra) is a great soccer/football talent, but she gets resistance from her family, who would rather see her in a more traditional role (mind you, "traditional" expectations include her studying to be a barrister and she doesn't have an arranged marriage waiting for her). Another young woman and soccer player, Jules (Keira Knightley) approaches Jess at the park, like some kind of clean teen stalker (oops, I said I wouldn't poke at it, didn't I?), and scouts Jess for the local women's team. Jess and Jules become instant best friends who have a falling out over a boy but real friendship and sports[chick]ship ultimately wins the day (drat, I can't help making a bit of fun). And while there is much talk of football, we see very little. This could be accounted for by the fact that these are actors, not athletes (this may be typical for movies about team sports, I don't know).
Okay, I give up. I can't let it lie completely. But although it appears that I cannot write about it without my inner critic rearing its not-so-pretty head, I did just relax and watch the movie and it was great fun. There are some very funny bits we both enjoyed.
One thing in the movies favor, on an intellectual level, is that these girls may have posters of David Beckham on their walls, but not just because he's a babe. No, they want to be him. They are shown as having serious goals and are intrinsically motivated to reach them. They aren't doing this for a guy, for parents, or anyone but themselves.
So I recommend stuffing your inner critic with some crispy spring rolls and giving it some sake and it'll just sit back and let you enjoy yourself. Life is good.
4 comments:
Love this film. I thought the shoes and airplanes definitely worked as images of mobility and immobility. Of course, Laura Mulvey might quibble with some of the shot choices, but the film works because Beckham is both idolized and subjected to the gaze. Speaking of the gaze, I also quite like the actor who plays Joe.
It's interesting, too, how questioning gender roles so easily slides into homosexuality themes. You could really avoid that, but no-one does... I'll stop
I must confess that did enjoy Jules's mother's misinterpretation of the relationship between Jess and Jules. I thought it was actually a less-obvious approach as I normally expect such ideas to come from peers.
Oh yeah. What's not to like about Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He's so morphy, too. Sometimes he just looks like your basic dude, and then all of a sudden...
Another thing I liked is that even though Joe is the love-interest, is that these girls are so focused that they are only interested in the only man who is part of their soccer world. In fact, I think they have their love for him a little confused with their love of the game.
But frankly, I still am not at all sure that Jules is hetero... They didn't convince me.
Of course I understand, Jess...I'm Irish!
Doc: Yes, exactly.
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