Why cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend the ball like Beckham? (Bend It Like Beckham (DVD))

Member Name: lvg23

Product:	Bend It Like Beckham (DVD)
Date:	27/08/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The cast and the directing is top notch

Disadvantages: None

Bend It Like Beckham is a 2003 British film, directed by Gurinder Chadha (famous for other hit British films like Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Bride and Prejudice) and capitalizes on Brand Beckham and his fantastic ability to score from free kicks by bending (curving) the ball.

*Synopsis*
18 year old Jess Bharma (Parminder Nagra) is young, free, single and has her whole life ahead of her. But most of all she loves football. Her favourite player (as the title suggests) is David Beckham and dreams of one day playing professionally alongside him. The problem is however Jess's parents want her to become what every Indian woman's parents expect them to be; married to a nice Indian boy and be the dutiful wife and mother.

One day in the park however, she meets Jules (Keira Knightley) the star player of the local girls football team and impressed by Jess's ability invites her to join the team.

Will Jess accept and play striker with Jules for the local team? Or will she follow her parents plans and become a dutiful wife and mother? Will she ever meet her hero David Beckham? Or more importantly will she ever make it as a pro woman footballer?

*My Opinon*
I remember watching this film and just thinking wow. The cast is hardly well known; the most well known is of course Keira Knightley (famous for Pirates of the Carribean and Atonement) but they play their parts so well it's like they've been doing this sort of thing for years.

Lead Parminder Nagra is fabulous as Jess and she really makes the part her own as she goes through the hardships of being a great woman footballer in the Indian community. No one knows the hard work that it takes to be a woman footballer more than me (I played at both School, Junior and County level until a knee injury ruined my career) and off course battling against parents that don't want you to spend your life playing a 'boy' sport, but Nagra plays the part brilliantly.

Keira Knightley puts in another stunning performance as Jess's best mate Jules and she shares many of Jess's hardships of going against hermothers wishes and playing football. The message of that it doesn't matter what nationality, background or colour of your skin you are/have the hard ships and testing times are still the same.

Other values in seeing Britain as more multi cultural than in other films, and the theme of breaking the tradional norms; Jess trying to break the mould of being a traditional housewife, Jess's sister's pre marriage sexual relationship and Jess's best friend being a gay Indian man.

Gurinder Chadha is fast becoming a legend in british film and with frequent fantastic films, his star doesn't look like it's going to fall any time soon. His great mix of easy going humour and morals and values are played at it's best in this and it is definatley worth a look (even if you don't like football or bollywood).

Amazon: from as little as a pound
Length:112 mins
Rating: 12

Summary: a greatt british film