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Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

Play trailer Poster for Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos PG-13 2006 1h 37m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
This documentary looks back on a time when soccer briefly captured America's attention. The film profiles the North American Soccer League franchise the New York Cosmos and the sensation it created back in the 1970s. Using archival footage, old photos and anecdotes from former players and businessmen, it tells the story -- or several conflicting stories -- of a team starring Brazilian soccer legend Pele, formed by non-sports people and ultimately submarined by the league's excessive expansion.
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Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

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Critics Consensus

You don't have to be a soccer fan to enjoy this stylish, breezy slice of 1970s sports history.

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Critics Reviews

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Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle Packed with observations and recrimations, many of the latter aimed at or by Chinaglia, which makes for some gossipy entertainment. Rated: 3/5 Aug 19, 2006 Full Review Peter Debruge Miami Herald ... treats its audience like a bunch of attention deficit disorder cases. Rated: 2/4 Aug 13, 2006 Full Review Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution ... accomplishes the minor miracle of making you mourn a sports team you likely never knew existed in the first place. Rated: B Aug 13, 2006 Full Review Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Rated: 2/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Leigh Singer Film4 Well-researched and exuberantly compiled, this is a thoroughly entertaining tribute to America's first tackle at surgically implanting the beautiful game. Rated: 4/5 Aug 4, 2008 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Not being a soccer fan, the Cosmos phenomenon had no impact on me at the time nor does this energetic film change that opinion. Rated: B- Dec 3, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bahad j This idea of ​​the filmmaker made the movie more accessible to more people. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/07/24 Full Review Munkhchimeg T Appreciate to the movie team. High quality movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/02/24 Full Review Geke g Its very decent sport movie. Worth watching. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/28/24 Full Review Audience Member With retro tunes and presentation in addition to very personal accounts from relevant individuals, 'Once in a Lifetime' succeeds in transporting you back to this period when the 1907-85 New York Cosmos strived to engrave 'soccer' into the American culture. It is interesting to see how aspects of the modern game can be linked to them such as football's current position in the US, the relentless transfer market exploits of clubs such as Real Madrid and the mixed consequences of creating top-heavy leagues. However, despite it undeniably producing spells of entertainment (e.g the signing of Pelé), your overall opinion will eventually come down to the extent to which you're eager to learn about the content. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member A bunch of men bickering about a failed project. Hyped at the start of the film as something that changed football forever even though it did anything but. I've seen far better documentaries. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member An excellent documentary that takes you to a time and place that no one who lived it wants to forget. This pro soccer team ahead of it's time is what electrified soccer in the USA. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

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Cast & Crew

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Paul Crowder

Director

John Dower

Director

Matt Dillon

Narrator

Mark Monroe

Writer

John Battsek

Producer

Fisher Stevens

Producer

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Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary looks back on a time when soccer briefly captured America's attention. The film profiles the North American Soccer League franchise the New York Cosmos and the sensation it created back in the 1970s. Using archival footage, old photos and anecdotes from former players and businessmen, it tells the story -- or several conflicting stories -- of a team starring Brazilian soccer legend Pele, formed by non-sports people and ultimately submarined by the league's excessive expansion.
Director
Paul Crowder, John Dower
Producer
John Battsek, Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams
Screenwriter
Mark Monroe
Production Co
Passion Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Language|Some Nudity)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jul 7, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$144.4K
Runtime
1h 37m
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