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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 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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Stephen C Funny in 1 hour and 52 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Sexual Content and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $32,500,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/08/25 Full Review Audience Member It was long and boring. Also, it was a hard watch with that British accent... Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/28/25 Full Review Mr M Really well made film, considering the small budget. Can see why it made nearly 15x that at the box office. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/17/25 Full Review Ram Y HORRIBLE! One of the worst movies I'll ever seen. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/25 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
Bend It Like Beckham

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Cast & Crew

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Gurinder Chadha

Director

Parminder Nagra

Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra

Keira Knightley

Jules Paxton

Anupam Kher

Mr. Bhamra

Archie Panjabi

Pinky Bhamra

Shaznay Lewis

Mel

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Bend It Like Beckham

Left to Right: Keira Knightly, Parminder Nagra and Shaznay Lewis in BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM. Kulvinder Ghir (Teetu) & Archie Panjabi (Pinky Bhamra) Parminder Nagra (Jess) & Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Joe) Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Joe) & Parminder Nagra (Jess) Keira Knightley (Jules) & Shaznay Lewis (Mel) Parminder Nagra (Jess) Keira Knightley (Jules) A scene from BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM. Parminder Nagra in BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM. Left to Right: Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM. View more photos

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
Kintop Pictures, Scion Films, Helkon Media AG, Film Council, British Screen Productions
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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