Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent Mixing of Multiple Metaphors ¿ Lotsa Fun
Review: Writer-Director Gurinda Chadha pours enough love and laughter into 'Bend it Like Beckham' to keep you smiling right through all of her messages. This could be a clash of cultures movie; or maybe it's a feminist statement; or it's a love story; or another blasted sports movie; but mostly it's a coming of age story, this time about a girl. Said girl being victim of all of the above - and all she wants to do is play soccer, for which she has a magnificent gift. Her desire to please others while being her own woman is the heart of this well-told comic morality play. Brilliant is not word enough for the portrayal of our heroine (Jess) by Parminder Nagra. The viewer always understands the pressures bearing on her from all directions, and is charmed by the innocence and determination of the young lady who doggedly knows what she wants. And she sets out to get it in spite of the smothering love and control of her immigrant family, all of who mean excessively well for her. Other reviews go on about the story, which is delightfully told, and the quality acting by all involved. No argument. But I was particularly struck by Chadha's kindness to all of her characters. Some are bigots, some narrow-minded, some confused, some angry and bitter, some clueless. Doesn't matter to Chadha, they're all essentially good people who are just a little misguided but well-intentioned. And all are happy to see the light (there are plenty of lights to see here) and become better folks. So nice to see a movie that doesn't need evil as a foil to the goodness of its hero. Also welcome is the lack of preachiness, as Chadha piles on the lessons of life she never condescends to her audience. Refreshing, to say the least. Lastly, this happy flick never insults those of the Jess' family who see a life as wife and mother as more important than personal successes. The fast cuts from Jess' big soccer game in front of the American scout to her sister's wild and joyous wedding tell the viewer that each of the girls is making the right choice for herself. Wonderfully and happily non-judgmental. You know, coming of age movies have historically set the groundwork for careers of famous actors; Travolta (Saturday Night Fever) and Cruise (Risky Business, among others) come to mind quickly. Let's hope the same fate befalls the talented Parminder Nagra. And this was my first Gurinda Chadha movie; I'll be searching the video stores for more.
Rating:
Summary: It is the best, that's all I can say.
Review: Jessminder is a Sikh-Anglo teenager living in Houslow in the United Kingdom. Her idol is David Beckham, and she practices football (soccer in the USA) in the park with the guys, much to the disapproval of her Old World mother. Running around with guys showing your bare legs in shorts is a cultural no-no, as Mum incessantly tells her. Around the time her older boy-crazy sister Pinkie gets engaged (to the guy she has been sneaking out to see for years), Jess is 'discovered' in the park by Jules, a player on a female football league. She is recruited to the team, supervised by handsome Joe (hello, Joe!) She plays in secret as her family plans the wedding. Jess is really good at football ..... and this is a problem. The more progress she makes, the more problems she runs into. She can't please her family and her teammates at the same time, and she has stopped questioning whether or not she is pleasing herself. "Whose life are you living?" Joe asks her. And she has no answer for him. The standout character (besides Jess) is her father, who reveals his own dashed athletic dreams at one point. It is sad but humorous and actually pretty free from stereotypes (the director Gurinder Chadha is an Indian woman who recruited her own mother and aunts as extras in the film, and says her dream is to write a script about Indian culture without the words "arranged marriage" in it. I will be in the theater for that movie!) It's very colorful and exciting. Chadha does a good job drawing how these problems "are not just an Indian thing" as Jules says. Her mother reminds her that "Sporty Spice is the only one without a boyfriend!" Jess is told to give up football and learn to cook. I was interested in the parallel of what is taboo in the Indian and Anglo culture -- Jess is reprimanded for being thought to have been seen kissing an English boy, Jules is reprimanded for being thought to have a teenaged lesbian affair with Jess. And the soundtrack is amazing as well! Both Indian and English sonds, as well as the dialogue from the flick.
Rating:
Summary: Funny Sensation
Review: This movie is an original. I attended with my parents expecting that I would be the only one laughing, but I was wrong. It is great for both teens and parents.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute Film
Review: The plot of this film involves an East Indian high school girl in England who fights cultural, racial and sexual boundaries in pursuing her passion, namely soccer. This is a more or less "wholesome" film with some comedy ... a little over the head of kids under the age of 10. The film is supportive of women in athletics and also nicely exposes elements of East Indian culture. There are a few tear-jerking moments and you'll get a few laughs, but I found the film at times to be a little boring.
Rating:
Summary: very entertaining move
Review: this movie is a very down to earth heartfelt effort. it is the story of an indian girl growing up in england who has wishes of playing soccer. her family is very traditional and does not support their daughter in her dreams of playing soccer. in their eyes she should work on getting into school and becoming a proper indian woman. little does her family know that their daughter, jess, has potential to go professional in the united states. in order for her to play though she must deceive her parents and come up with various excuses to go and play. along the way she becomes friends with another player and some drama is created between the two when they each fall for the same guy, his name is joe and he is their soccer coach. inevitably jess' parents discover that she has been deceiving them and attempt to put a stop to her soccer playing. jess' activities cause her sister's wedding to be cancelled because it is believed that she is a lebian and was spotted by the groom's parents kissing another girl. many of the laughs from this movie come at the expense of mistaken sexual identity. all in all this movie is very fun to watch and sends people out of the theater entertained. i suggest going to watch this movie because it is just a good time. there is a lot of depth to this movie if one cares to look past the surface. it deals with race, coming of age, tradition, sexual identity, and love. all of these aspects are cleverly explored while at the same time not weighing down the whole story. bend it like beckham is very good and worth the money you pay for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad film but with some disturbing themes
Review: This movie does a good job as a light-hearted comedy telling the challenges and struggles of minorities trying to pursue their dreams. But the main character's love story with her soccer coach really feels awkward and somewhat disturbing in this supposingly uplifting film. I mean even with my moral standard no higher than Howard Stern's, I find it shocking when the coach takes a bunch of high school girls clubbing, getting drunk and dances like he's trying to get it on with the girls...
Rating:
Summary: women's soccer has it all
Review: The story of an Indian girl born and raised in England by her overprotective mother and stern Sikh father who wants to do what no decent Indian girl should do - play soccer.
Not only is the story wonderfully romantic, the climax uplifting, the characters extremely appealing, and the script, amusing, but there are some of the best soccer plays and game footage you probably have ever seen on screen. I've been to live soccer matches but never seen action like this - the camera catches the hilights perfectly.
Rating:
Summary: "I'm Irish. Of COURSE I know what it feels like."
Review: I almost missed seeing this wonderful little film on the big screen; I caught the last showing of the last day in our local art-house theater. I can't believe I almost robbed myself of the pleasure of seeing "Bend it Like Beckham", quite honestly my favorite movie to come out this year so far. It has action, romance, comedy, drama, lots of color and music and in the end a great message about acceptance and following your dreams. What more could you want? Parminder Nagra stars as Jess, a Londoner of Indian descent who has loved playing soccer (or football, to the rest of the world) all her life. She lives and breathes her sport, so much so that every night she tells all her hopes and dreams to a giant poster of British soccer phenom David Beckham that hangs above her bead. Her parents, though, are less than approving, and when Jess uncovers a female soccer team that is willing to let her play in "real matches" she must weigh fulfilling her dreams against tearing her family apart. There is also the matter of her gorgeous Irish coach (Jonathan Rhys-Myers) and her new best friend (Keira Knightly); two girls and one cute guy can sometimes cause problems.
The script is more deeply layered than you might expect; I especially liked the interaction between Jess and her parents. Jess' mom is horrified by her daughter's passion because she feels nice Indian girls should be thinking of marriage and not "running around half naked in front of men", but her father for a subtler reason; he still remembers when he came to England and was not allowed to play cricket because of his race. He cannot bear the idea of sport breaking Jess' heart too. The supporting cast is uniformly great; with standouts being Juliet Stevenson as the mother of Jess' new friend ("There is a reason Sporty Spice is the only one without a boyfriend!") and Jonathan Rhys-Myers as the coach. Rhys-Myers, in fact, spends what screen time he has looking incredibly sexy and practically daring the audience to call him on his Irish accent. Everyone else plays their roles to perfection and a good time is had by all, including the audience. Highly recommended! GRADE: A-
Rating:
Summary: ¿Bend It Like Beckham¿ a riot of laughs, drama and football.
Review: A friend in London (England, not Ontario) convinced me that I had to see "Bend It Like Beckham," (along with praise from Sundance and the Toronto Film Festival) so lo and behold, one dreary spring day I stepped into a surprisingly crowded theatre (I wasn't sure of a British comedy's marketability in North America). "BILB" proved every bit as wonderful as my friend said, and in a nutshell is a sort of cross between "Monsoon Wedding" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Jess, a Londoner of Asian descent, plays football in secret since her parents strictly forbid it and want her to grow into a nice, traditional Sikh girl who can cook a full Punjabi dinner. Jess, however, has other plans. She teams up with Jules (short for Juliet), a fellow footballer, and the team coach Joe and an American scout eagerly appraises the two. Along the way Jess has to survive her sister's frantic, bipolar engagement and wedding, come clean to her parents about her joining the team, fights over her blossoming romance, and learns to follow her heart. Jess confides her worries to her David Beckham poster that hangs over her bed. Her room is filled with Beckham memorabilia. Jules' mother is similarly against her daughter playing football, convinced that she must be a lesbian since she favours sports bras, has short hair and wears boyish clothes. The two girls hang out often, finding more similarities than differences, but when Jess nearly kisses Joe, Jules is furious, having eyed him for herself, and a stony rivalry ensues. The film is doused with Indian culture, including saris, salwar kameez, samosas, Bollywood musicals, singing game shows, bhangra rock, and more, but always finds a more or less comfortable balance between Indian and London cultures. The unbelievably colourful, extravagant wedding was one of my favourite highlights of the film since I adore bhangra rock and Bollywood. The soundtrack is similarly influenced, with many Indian pop songs, and my favourite of all, "The Power of Love" cover (Sitam version) by Amar. The cinematography is at times used for comedic effect, as in rapid cutaways to see the dazed/shocked/delighted expression of parents and relatives, in dizzying, rapid-fire football matches, the colourful exuberance of the Indian wedding, the sizzling energy of a German nightclub, and at times timed shots to capture the beauty of day turning into dusk. The movie is blessed with a strong cast, a great story, and characters that draw you into their worlds, worries, and triumphs, not to mention a catchy soundtrack, great football action, and a tender romance. "Bend It Like Beckham" will certainly join my other honoured favourites such as "Monsoon Wedding" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Oh, and look for a "There's Something About Mary"-like singalong/bloopers during the credits. If you love football, romantic comedies, and/or Indian culture, you will surely score with "Bend It Like Beckham."
Rating:
Summary: This one gets the goal for sure...
Review: Yes, "Bend It Like Beckham" is a really fun movie. This was yet another time (the first having been "The Talented Mr. Ripley") that I got my sister Lorraine to go see a movie she knew nothing about, and she was laughing hilariously at the goings-on. Shouldn't have any problem enticing her to something else in the future. "BILB" concerns a young Indian girl who lives in England with her family. Rather than what we'd call on this side of the pond her getting "Americanized", Jess is getting "Anglicized", becoming more interested in the British sport of football (soccer to us Yanks) when her mom wants her to learn how to cook traditional Indian meals and help plan the older sister's upcoming wedding. Thus, Jess is compelled to join a girl's team on the sly, and much of the comedy of errors that ensues arises from misperceptions of what's really going on by the Indian family, as well as by the British family of Jess' newfound pal, who has something of a crush on the football coach, Joe. This film sure looked promising from the coming attractions I saw, and it didn't disappoint for a second. I heartily enjoyed "Bend It Like Beckham", and invite you to see it and do the same.
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