The Beautiful Game

PG-13

Released Mar 25

2 hr. 4 min.

Drama

Sports

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List

83%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England's homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he's ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup,The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances -- where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything's to play for.

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Critics Consensus

The Beautiful Game has an undeniable warmth that further elevates an already irresistible true story, helping this inspirational drama score despite a reliance on well-worn clichés.

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E. D

Very interesting and well done inspirational sports movie. It is a dramedy story, which gives you a good feeling after watching it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/24

Full Review

Nilvia V

The plot and direction look very simple at first, but when we think of the characters, their struggles and idiosyncrasies we can see a beautiful story. It’s not about football, but about human beings and their struggles and interactions. The movie tackles self awareness and the lack of it, jealousy, fear, courage, friendship, hope, amendments, and so on. I also liked very much to learn about this annual football tournament which I had never heard about.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/21/24

Full Review

Lee C

Well made and enjoyable, but about thirty minutes too long. It would have been easy to tighten it up.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

Javier Z

Seriously a horrible movie. The script, actors and whole movie is so bad it makes you laugh. Seriously, DO NOT watch this unless you like to laugh at horrible movies. So many subplots left just unresolved, conversations going from if I don't win I don't stay in the US to I love pineapple on pizza (not a joke) and then one guy Nathan( one of the leading secondary characters through the movie) just leaves and never comes back and no closing to his circumstances or situation, poor guy doesn't even get an apology. I am sure people rated this high because of the homelessness and bringing awareness to the Homelessness World Cup but seriously a HORRIBLE movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/09/24

Full Review

joanna d

Their heart is in the right place but this is not a good film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

Virginia S

Such a heart strings movie. Never knew that a movie could be so moving and educational at the same time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

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Thea Sharrock

Director

Bill Nighy

Mal

Susan Wokoma

Protasia

Callum Scott Howells

Nathan

Kit Young

Cal

Sheyi Cole

Jason

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The Beautiful Game: Trailer

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Robert Levin

Newsday

There's hardly anything in “The Beautiful Game” that audiences have not seen a thousand times before. And that's unfortunate, because the Homeless World Cup has dramatic potential that transcends the underdog story archetype.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 8, 2024

Full Review

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

I love this movie. It's as ordinary as the dirt you play soccer on, but I don't care. It's fantastic.

Apr 5, 2024

Full Review

Leslie Felperin

Hollywood Reporter

The film rolls along smoothly like many a British sitcom, finding its humor largely in mild embarrassment, ironic understatement and well-rehearsed comic timing.

Mar 29, 2024

Full Review

Rohan Naahar

The Indian Express

The storytelling feels mechanical and rushed; very inelegant — more English Premier League than the Spanish La Liga.

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Aaron Neuwirth

We Live Entertainment

Ultimately, this is an underdog story, but a well-told one and quite inclusive.

Rated: 7/10

Apr 4, 2024

Full Review

M.N. Miller

InSession Film

The Beautiful Game is a story head and shoulders above the rest, even if the road map is particularly familiar to the usual genre film destination.

Rated: B-

Apr 4, 2024

Full Review

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Synopsis

Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England's homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he's ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup,The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances -- where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything's to play for.

Director: Thea Sharrock
Executive Producer: Daniel Battsek, Claudine Farrell, Lorenzo Gangarossa, Ollie Madden
Screenwriter: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Blueprint Pictures, Wildside, Film4
Rating: PG-13 (Some Language|A Suggestive Reference|Drug Reference|Brief Partial Nudity)
Genre: Drama, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 25, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2024

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