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Bend It Like Beckham

Play trailer Poster for Bend It Like Beckham PG-13 Released Mar 12, 2003 1h 52m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 157 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), the daughter of a strict Indian couple (Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan) in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley), who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
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Bend It Like Beckham

Bend It Like Beckham

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Critics Consensus

Inspiring, compassionate, and with a sly undercurrent of social commentary, Bend It Like Beckham is a lively feel-good movie that genuinely charms.

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Critics Reviews

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Namrata Joshi Outlook The film caricaturises every character, save the lead players and their sympathisers, in the most obvious manner. Rated: 2/4 Jan 3, 2019 Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Superb tale of a girl's struggle for her dreams. Rated: 4/5 Oct 14, 2010 Full Review Jumana Farouky TIME Magazine The acting is as nimble as the footwork. Aug 1, 2008 Full Review Kanishk Devgan Film Companion ...a very earnest and uplifting exploration of the daughter of Indian immigrants who just wants to play some football. Mar 30, 2021 Full Review Shannon Melero The Muse/Jezebel For any film to be a great sports film it must have staying power, beyond ample training montages and a great comeback game, and Bend It Like Beckham has all of that in spades and more. Nov 10, 2020 Full Review Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) An unashamedly feel-good soccer comedy that is sharper than Cristiano Ronaldo's latest haircut, has better vision than your average linesman and is more uplifting than winning on penalties in extra time. Rated: 4/5 Apr 17, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ed R Far too long of a movie. Terrible plot and now terribly outdated. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Arnold D This is a generational classic that hits home on so many levels. The Re-Watch value in this film is ever present. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/28/24 Full Review Michael W This soccer movie was great. Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Archie Panjabi, Anupam Kher, Juliet Stevenson, Frank Harper, and the rest of the cast did a great job in this movie. This story about two teenage girls wanting to play professional soccer against their parents wishes was dramatic and inspirational. It's about fighting for what you want to do with your life and not end up like your parents. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's worth watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/22/24 Full Review Foxface C Very inspiring. Great Story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/28/24 Full Review purplealchemist Better than I thought! I had no expectations and no idea what this film was about going into it. But it's super cute! A nice way to introduce Indian culture to someone unfamiliar with it. All of the characters were fun. A good, fun, heartwarming movie with a little cheese on top. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review Fille L How are these punters such good storytellers? Like all of them! David's parents, friends. I enjoyed the pointed intention to juxtapose opposing opinions and recollections from the cast. Overall It's fun to watch but also appalling to learn what they went through. Im not a footie so it's always headscrathing the fanaticism of some nations--but especially UK--with it. I also thought England's fascination with David and his family was simply that, an English thing. Had no idea they used the poor guy as a scapegoat for all the ills of their country. No wonder he moved to LA. I'm starting to think the English are awful! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), the daughter of a strict Indian couple (Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan) in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley), who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
Director
Gurinder Chadha
Producer
Deepak Nayar, Gurinder Chadha
Screenwriter
Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
Helkon Media AG, Kintop Pictures, British Screen Productions, Film Council, Scion Films
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 12, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.5M
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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