Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football

Released Apr 21, 2018

1h 37m

Documentary

Biography

List

Reviews

80%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

With help from journalists, Carlos "Kaiser" Henrique Raposo convinces soccer clubs that he is a professional player, despite having never played the sport.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

This is a gripping tale of dysfunction and self-delusion.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 24, 2018

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Screen International

This incredible story - too far-fetched to convince as a drama - is given a suitably brash and sassy treatment in this energetic and affectionate documentary.

Apr 24, 2018

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Rich Phippen

HeyUGuys

A story so impossible it plays like fiction, yet there's something enchanting about such an unlikely story, albeit one which loses some of its magic when examined so closely.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 4, 2019

Full Review

Lee Jutton

Film Inquiry

Certain scenes seem orchestrated just to elicit audience sympathy for Kaiser and they ring false. But by showing us how the myth is so much more enjoyable than the man, Myles helps us understand why the man created the myth in the first place.

May 8, 2018

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Cristian s

Para ser un documental resulta bastante entretenida y graciosa. Buena historia, buen ritmo y muy bien contada, a cualquier persona que le guste el futbol le va a gustar bastante.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/12/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting story, but lacks drama in the telling and gets repetitive at times

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/05/21

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Audience Member

Must see for people who like football and sports in general.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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eoin h

Fun football documentary about the greatest footballer to never play. Kaiser, as he was known, was a hilarious character and and was determined to make his dream of being a professional footballer come through even though he couldn't play. The Brazilian got his first contract in Italy mainly on the basis of being Brazilian and also friends with a footballer. He uses this as his in to a pro career and returns to Brazil from a European club. He moves around all the Brazilian main Rio based clubs determined on avoiding any actual playing time in case he gets found out. His methods for doing this are hilarious but mainly involve getting injuries and suspensions and moving on before being found out. The Kaiser loves the life of a pro footballer and manages to supply the high life to lots of his teammates which is probably why they keep him around. What makes this story more endearing is that given our mastery of data these days no one could get away with it now. Kaiser is a fun watch and highly recommended to any football fan

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

A must see movie for anyone that loves football.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

As my normal relationship with Association Rules Football is one of rather aggressive apathy. I wasn't hopeful when I was persuaded to see a documentary of bally kicky people called "Kaiser". So, having stocked up on code compliant supplies, I thought, 'well at least I'll get the chance to get over my jet lag'. I don't think I've ever been more grateful to miss out on a two hour nap. Kaiser, despite its billing, isn't really a film about football at all. It's about the corrupting effect of status, machismo, and vanity. It's about how we all crave deception, fantasy, and are often complicit in it. And what it's not about, is some lurrvy-fest to the "beautiful" game . Watching a honour roll of so called footballing "heroes" condemn themselves by their own testimony to be a collection of corrupt bullying sleezeballs immediately made me re-assess the adulation I have given my own "heroes". And makes one question, to what extent are our cultural touch points, our celebrities, our joint memory - really what we think they are- are we all being conned? Although the tone sometimes feels more complicit with the subjects than it should, the emotional heart of the film is the story of a man, not wholey good, not wholey bad, who is destroyed by the very gifts the gods have given him. Kaiser, is a character straight out of Greek tragedy - a trickster who's lies have so consumed him that the moment of catharsis in the final act is made all the more powerful by the fact we can never quite believe him. This is the boy who cried wolf - with sex, gangsters, and a bunch of socially idolised man-children.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Louis Myles

Director

Bernardo De Paula

Narrator

José Carlos Araújo

Self

Renato Gaúcho

Self

Carlos Kaiser

Self

Zico

Self

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Synopsis

With help from journalists, Carlos "Kaiser" Henrique Raposo convinces soccer clubs that he is a professional player, despite having never played the sport.

Director: Louis Myles
Producer: Stefan Choynowski, Rob Fullam, Stewart Till, Ray Mills
Screenwriter: Ivor Baddiel, Louis Myles
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: Portuguese (Brazil)
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2019
Runtime: 1h 37m

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