Goal - Follow the football dream... (Goal! (DVD))

Member Name: LAURALILIA

Product:	Goal! (DVD)
Date:	08/08/09 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to follow - good football shots - a feel good film

Disadvantages: Plot may be a bit basic and predictable for some

***Goal (2005)***

Having had the disappointment of watching Goal 3 the other night, we thought that we would revisit the original films (epecially as normal TV viewing is a bit thin on the ground).

***Basic Plot***

This is essentially a feel good film for football fans, particularly those of a younger age with dreams of their own. It follows the fortunes of Santiago Munez who as a child illegally entered the USA (from Mexico) with his family. Of course they dreamed of having a better life and in particular Santiago dreamed the dream of most little boys; to grow up to be a successful footballer. The film shows his interest at an early age, playing football with his friends with every spare moment he gets, using cardboard as shin pads, as Santiago's family are still quite poor. Santiago dutifully works in poorly paid jobs to help his family and saves some of his earnings for his future. There is tension within his family, as his father expects Santiago to help him fulfil his dream of having his own gardening business - a real honest way of making money - a family business.


Santiago is playing with his friends when he spotted by an ex football scout from England. The football scout tries to get an agent to come and see him (to no avail) but of course that is not the end of the story... There are difficulties we see early on; Santiago has asthma and of course has little money, and only the support of his grandma and his younger brother (his mother left home when he was young). The story follows his progress and the pursuit of his dream.

***Actors***

Kuno Becker

- Whilst this is no oscar winning actor, he carried the role really well and best of all, made you empathise and root for his character. He was believable as a poor boy following his dreams and refreshingly was not arrogant at all. I liked his accent and would like to see him in more films, unfortunately he doesn't seem to have done that many films, but I can imagine that he would be great in teen or kids movies.


Tony Plana

- Recently perhaps more famous for his role as 'Ugly Betty's' father, Tony was well cast as the Mexican father taking care of his family, trying to bring his son down to earth, while he tried to reach for the stars. I especially liked the scenes were he began to show his pride in his son and change his way of thinking.


Marcel Lures

- This actor was perfect as the enigmatic football manager of Newcastle United, who the players feared and respected, full of wise words and anecdotes. I am sure that in real ife a manager such as this would not be so easily persuaded to give young players chances - after all they must get begging letters and pestering all the time. However, this is the movies and of course anything is possible...


Anna Friel

Anna Friel is good whatever she appears in - her Newcastle accent was good and she portrayed the unassuming nurse and romantic interest of Santiago perfectly. She is always good as the girl next door.


Glen Foy

Although he was not a central actor he was great as the unassuming ex player and scout. He appeared mainly in the early stages and also at the end - but it was nice to see someone who now ran a garage, going to such trouble to push for someone they thought had talent.


Alessandro Nivola

Alessandro played the successul player who was constantly trying to mess up his life with his partying and wild life. You can imagine how some players do live their life in this way, although I am sure there was quite a bit of stereotyping going on too. Anyway he played this role well and was believable in this part.

Director

Danny Cannon is the English born director and also enjoys playing football himself which is apparent as his love of the game can comes through in the film. He has also directed episodes of CSI.

***Overall Opinion***

I liked this film because it didn't pretend to be something it wasn't. It was a feel good film with the usual twists and turns where you root for the underdog. I also liked the contrast between sunny Los Angeles and rainy Newcastle. It was good how they shot Newcastle in a positive light with great shots of the coastline and misty morning shots on the training pitch. Also even though the film centred upon Santiago, other characters were also developed and added to the story. The filming and editing of the football shots was great, giving you a real feel for the skill of the players. There was also cameo's by Alan Shearer and David Beckham etc.


Although the film had a 12 certificate I have to say that it was not as risque as Goal 3 which had the same rating. Although there was the odd swear word and a bit of kissing, I didn't feel as though it was too much to stop my young son from watching. He enjoyed watching the football scenes, the training and the tension involved in whether Santiago would succeed or not.

I am not sure whether it would appeal to die hard football fans, but I thought it was a good movie for teens and families who enjoy watching football. There are also a few good jokes exploiting the ignorance of Santiago when it comes to the language of the Geordies. The mix of genuine football footage with invented scenes is clevely done and you still feel the suspense even though you know the end result, which is helped by the sound of a beating heart against silence as Santiago considers his shots.


Another thing that I liked is that it wasn't all plain sailing and happy familiy moments as you might expect - it didn't round everything off nicely and there was some sad moments too. Having everything as rosy in the garden is a trap that too many films of this nature fall into, just to please the masses.

If I have any criticism at all, it would be for the somewhat abrupt and cliched ending, but you can't have everthing and it helps knowing that Santiago's fortunes can be followed in the sequel.


~~~Advantages~~~

#Simple rags to riches feel good story

#Good music

#A star you can warm to

#Good acting from supporting roles

~~~Disadvantages~~~

#Predictable

#David Beckham's minor speaking role!

***Soundtrack***

I enjoyed the soundtrack, there were songs by Oasis, Happy Mondays and Kaspian. I'm not an expert in this area but the music worked well and was chosen well.

***Cast***

Tony Plana - Hernan Munez
Kuno Becker - Santiago Munez
Alessandro Nivola - Gavin Harris
Anna Friel - Roz Harmison
Stephen Dillane - Glen Foy
Sean Pertwee - Barry Rankin
Marcel Lures - Erik Dornhelm

***Quotes***

Erik Dornhelm: Here we pass the ball, you understand that? We're a unit, not a one-man show. The name on the front of the shirt is more important than the one on the back.


Santiago Munez: I don't know where home is.
Roz Harmison: Yeah ya do. It's green an' it's got a goal post at each end.
General Info

The film runs for 118 minutes.

It is a certificate 12.


Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

***Extra Bonus Features***

There are four different features:

*Behind the Pitch

*The Beauty of the Game - explaining the intensity of football around the world

*Audio Commentary by Director Danny Cannon

*Happy Mondays Music Video - Playground Superstar

***Availability***

This film is available from Amazon for only £3.98 which I feel is a good price. We have watched it more htan once, at the vey least rent it and give it a go. I originally got it for my son, but I have to say it wa much better than I expected. i think that now is a good time to watch this film, just as the football season gets underway...Recommended.

This review will also be published on Ciao under the same username.

Summary: Won't win any major awards, but still a good film worth watching if you like football.