20 Films on Futbol

 

In the world of cinema, sports is a subject that allows filmmakers to tell stories of adversity, growth, teamwork, and why sports are fun. In the U.S., there are iconic sports movies in games such as baseball, football, basketball, and hockey whether it is professional sports, semi-professional, or little league sports. They have stories that are appealing to audiences because they are simple yet effective stories. There are so many films relating to baseball, football, basketball, and hockey that can be made into a list but there is one sport that does not get enough attention even though it is a much bigger sports around the world than in the U.S. Futbol or as you Americans call it, soccer. Futbol is a different as it a sport that says a lot about people, community, clubs, and what it means to win as well as what is means to be part of a team.

While there have been a lot of films about the beautiful game, this list will not include films I have not seen such as Tom Hooper’s The Damned United, Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl, and Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer. I am making a list of 20 films in both fiction and documentary that I think represent the beautiful game at its absolute best. Even as it is not an easy list of films, considering that the beautiful game has not been well-represented through Hollywood though there are some gems in and out of Hollywood that has appeal to fans and non-fans of the beautiful game. Here is a list of 20 films that are worth watching about the beautiful game:

1. Escape to Victory

A remake of the 1961 Hungarian film Two Halves in Hell that is based on an infamous game between Nazi Germany and Soviet-Ukrainian POWS in 1942 known as the Death Match. John Huston’s 1981 film is a different animal as it is about a bunch of POWs from the Allies who have agreed to play an exhibition game against Nazi Germany as part of a propaganda stunt for the Nazis. Narratively, it is a basic story yet with a cast that includes Michael Caine as the team’s leader/manager, Sylvester Stallone as an American who serves as the goalie, and Max von Sydow as a Nazi leader. It seems like an appealing film for mainstream audiences, but what makes the film work are the supporting cast who get play POWs such as England’s Bobby Moore, Argentina’s Osvaldo, and Pele! Now that is a fucking team, and it must have been a joy for Caine to play with some of these legends including a certified GOAT in Pele.

2. Ladybugs

OK, as a child of the 80s. Rodney Dangerfield is an idol of mine as I always love his persona as a comedian as well as an actor. He is a better actor than people give him credit for. Yes, his schtick was becoming dated in the 1990s but this film by Sidney J. Furie is not as bad as people claim it is to be. Dangerfield is hilarious as a guy who is trying to get a promotion at his job so he can get the money to marry his longtime girlfriend. What he does is claim he is a soccer coach where he would coach his company’s girls’ team that includes the boss’ daughter as he has Jackee` helping him. Thus, hilarity ensues while he would get his girlfriend’s son Matthew dressing up as a girl in Martha so that he can be a ringer for the team. It is a comical film that include some racy language that is quite extreme for a family film. “They broke my nail! MOM, THOSE BITCHES BROKE MY NAIL!!!!!” This is one of those rare films that I saw in the theaters more than once and I am not ashamed to admit it.

3. Fever Pitch

Not to be confused with the 2005 film by the Farrelly Brothers starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore about the Boston Red Sox. In fact, that film is remake of this 1997 film by David Evans that is based on a book by Nick Hornby, who also wrote the screenplay, about a schoolteacher’s love for Arsenal set in 1988 as he also falls in love with another teacher as he becomes conflicted in trying to have both. The film stars Colin Firth as this man who also coaches his school’s team as it also plays into his troubled relationship with his father who first took him to an Arsenal game. The film also features Mark Strong as Firth’s best friend who is also a massive fan of Arsenal. It is this film that made me a fan of Arsenal and if anyone has a problem with Arsenal will have to answer to…. The Queen….

4. Bend It Like Beckham

Gurinder Chadha’s 2002 film is not just one of the finest films on the beautiful game, but it is also this light-hearted and touching film that revolves around cultural differences, identity, and not wanting to betray family values. Starring Parminder Nagra as a young Punjab-Indian woman who loves futbol as she meets up with a white Briton played Keira Knightley who is part of a local amateur futbol club as they become friends but also rivals for the affection of their Irish coach. Yet, the film also explores Nagra’s character Jess trying to not dishonor her family’s values and wishes just as her sister is hoping to get married while the film also has a lot of humor. Particularly from Juliet Stevenson as Knightley’s mother who believes that her daughter is a lesbian as her reactions bring such joy. It is a film that my parents and my sisters love as it is just one of those amazing films though the scene of Stevenson crying over what happened to George Michael when he came out is hilarious. Yet, the man who plays her husband tells her, “George Michael is still a superstar, and you still listen to Wham!”

5. Kicking & Screaming

Not to be confused with the 1995 film by Noah Baumbach of the same name, Jesse Dylan’s 2005 sports comedy about a man who decides to coach a youth soccer team after his dad had refused to play his son for his own team. Starring Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall, the film is a light-hearted comedy that is more about the relationship between father and son as Ferrell often felt he had to compete with his overly-competitive father in Duvall. What does make it work is that you have Ferrell team up with legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka in creating a team of misfits who may not be athletic but their heart and willingness to get better at the game. It also has funny moments such as Ferrell becoming addicted to cappuccino and the need to wanting to merge his father’s sporting goods business with his own small business selling vitamins.

6. Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

This 2005 documentary from HBO Sports about the U.S. women’s soccer team that would win the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup is among one of the finest documentary films about women athletes. Notably in the struggles these legendary players had to endure from being underpaid, not having a lot of support from their own country, and not being taken seriously by other countries. Yet, this is a documentary that proves how they managed to become winners and that moment at the Rose Bowl in 1999 where they won it all. Even if the aftermath of the brief rise and fall of the WUSA league is also told though that league did pave the way for the NWSL which has so far done well.

7. Offside

Jafar Panahi is one of the world's best filmmakers as well as one of the best filmmakers from Iran despite his own battles with its government who have tried to ban him from making films. Among the films he has made in his country that has gotten into trouble is his 2006 film about a group of young women disguising themselves as men as they want to watch a qualifying game between Iran and Bahrain at the national stadium. Of course, they get caught as guards are forced to watch over these women where one of them does escape and does get a glimpse of the game. The scene where this young woman explains what she saw with the guards also looking at her own description is among one of the best scenes in the film. Despite all the political and social turmoil, it is the sport that does bring people together as it is one of the finest films of the 21st century so far.

8. She’s the Man

An adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Twelfth Night, Andy Fickman’s comedy is about a young woman whose school team has been disbanded as she decides to be her twin brother, who went to Europe to play some shows, who is about to attend another prep school as she disguises herself as a dude so she can play the beautiful game. She would have Channing Tatum as her roommate where she falls for him but also deals with all sorts of trouble. The film has Amanda Bynes in one of her most iconic performances as this young woman that just wants to play futbol as she would have Vinnie Jones as her coach while dealing with the affections of Laura Ramsey but also Alex Breckenridge as her brother’s vain girlfriend. It is an amazing film where Bynes is a total hoot while proving that tampons can help with nose bleeds.

9. Rudo y Cursi

From Carlos Cuaron is a film about two half-brothers from a farming family in a small Mexican town as they are both talented in futbol as they both go into separate teams and journeys as they both rise into the ranks of the professional Mexican league. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna who had worked with Cuaron previously as he co-wrote Y Tu Mama Tambien with his older brother Alfonso Cuaron. Alfonso, along with Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu produce the film as it is a comical story of sibling rivalry as well as the way futbol rivalries occur in Mexico as Bernal and Luna are great in this as well as a phenomenal supporting performance from Argentine actor/comedian Guillermo Franca as a slimy agent who also narrates the film. Another thing about the film that is worth watching is seeing Bernal doing a hilarious ranchero cover of Cheap Trick’s I Want You to Want Me.



10. Looking for Eric

Ken Loach’s 2009 film is about a middle-aged postal worker who is experiencing his own mid-life crisis as well as family drama in Manchester where he finds a sense of joy in the presence of his favorite player in Eric Cantona. While it is not a sports film, the presence of Cantona does add to why futbol matters to people and how it helps a man going through so much in his life find some bit of hope. Especially as Cantona is a man full of joy who understands the struggles that this postal worker is going through as it does play into the elements of magical realism. It may be a minor work from Ken Loach but only someone like Ken Loach can create films set in the real world and not be afraid to bring in elements of fantasy that is grounded in reality.

11. The Two Escobars

One of several films in this list from the 30 for 30 documentary series, Jeff and Michael Zimbalist’s film about the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and the rise of Colombian futbol in the 1990s that included its captain in Andres Escobar (no relation). It is one of the best films of the series as it explores the rise of these two different men and their impact on the country but also the fall with the end of Pablo’s reign and the 1994 FIFA World Cup game against the U.S. where Andres scored an unfortunate own goal for the U.S. as he would be killed more than a week later. It is one of the documentary films that highlight a team that had a lot of promises only to fall with a drug lord who wanted to do good things for his country.

12. Maradona ‘86

One of 7 documentary short films from the 30 for 30 series as part of the Soccer Stories series in celebration of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, this documentary short about Argentina’s Diego Armando Maradona and his performance at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. A performance that is considered legendary including the quarter-final game against England where he would score 2 legendary goals. One of which remains a source of controversy because of a handball he committed yet it counted as the English to this day are still angry about it. That would be followed by what many call the Goal of the Century as Maradona was untouchable that year.

13. Ceasefire Massacre

The 2nd short from the 30 for 30 documentary series in Soccer Stories is about one of the most violent events to happen during a watch party at a small pub in Northern Ireland. All because a bunch of people wanted to watch Ireland vs. Italy during the 1994 FIFA World Cup where a Protestant terror group ambushed the pub where six people were killed. Directed by Alex Gibney and Trevor Birney, the documentary short film explores the Northern Ireland conflict and how this incident marked as a turning point in the conflict.

14. The Myth of Garrincha

Also, from the 30 for 30 series in Soccer Stories is a documentary short on Mane Garrincha who had been part of the 1958 and 1962 Brazilian national team that won the World Cup twice in those years. The short film explores a man who had a unique style of play due to his legs as they were bent when he was children. The film also played into his aftermath of his career where he struggled with alcoholism and finances leading to his death in 1983 where the people did give him a proper funeral.

15. The Opposition

Another entry from the 30 for 30 series is this short documentary by Ezra Edelman and Jeffrey Plunkett about one of the most discomforting World Cup qualifying games in 1973 between the Soviet Union and Chile in the latter’s national stadium in Santiago which was being used as a prison and killing field during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The Soviet Union’s refusal to play the two qualifiers led to the country being disqualified as it is a sobering documentary about one of the darkest periods in world history.

16. White, Blue and White

Another documentary from the 30 for 30 series is a short film about two men from the 1978 Argentina national team in Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa who helped the country win their first World Cup that year as they would later join the Tottenham Hotspurs in England where they would become major stars for that team and help the club win the 1981 FA Cup. Yet, all of that changed in 1982 where Ardiles leaves the club to return to the Argentine national team during one of the most horrific conflicts of the 20th Century in the Falkland Islands War between Britain and Argentina. It is a somber short of two men who are torn apart by their love for two countries and the war that tore everything apart.

17. Barbosa: The Man Who Made All of Brazil Cry

Until the events of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, what happened in the 1950 World Cup that was also hosted by Brazil who made it to the finals against Uruguay was a tragic event. It was the day where everyone thought the host country would win but a goal from Uruguay changed everything and Brazil’s goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa became the scapegoat as he was considered a national hero before the World Cup. This documentary short from 30 for 30 is about Barbosa and the aftermath of the 1950 World Cup where he was unfortunately seen as a pariah as it is one of the best documentary shorts from the 30 for 30 series.

18. Hillsborough

A feature-length documentary from the 30 for 30 series by Daniel Gordon is about one of the most horrific events in the history of the sport on April 15, 1989, during a FA Cup semi-final game between Liverpool and Nottingham at Hillsborough stadium where 97 people were killed due to a crowd crush with 766 injured from the event. The two-hour documentary explore incidents years before the event and what could have been prevented as well as the troubling aftermath that included falsified police reports and such leading to a trial and an investigation as the film was originally released in 2014 just twenty-five years after the event as it would later be expanded and updated two years later to include the inquiry and its verdict. Of all the films of the 30 for 30 series, this one is the best of them all.

19. Diego Maradona

The final film in a thematic trilogy about troubled geniuses from Asif Kapadia, this documentary film on the famed Argentine futbol player during his time playing for S.C.C. Napoli in Italy’s Serie A league from 1984 to 1991. Kapadia’s usage of archival footage, voice-over work, news reports, and such allows audiences to see one of the greatest players ever who would find a home in Naples as well as make their team one of the most beloved teams in Europe. Even as he endures a troubling cocaine addiction, extramarital affairs, and other things that would add to his legend as well as tidbits on his international career including his legendary performance at the 1986 FIFA World Cup where he gave Argentina their 2nd World Cup victory.

20. Next Goal Wins

While it may be inferior to the 2014 documentary film of the same name by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, Taika Waititi’s dramatic re-telling about Dutch-American coach Thomas Regan who takes on the impossible task to coach the American-Samoa national team and make them contenders. Starring Michael Fassbender as Regan, the film is a touching comedy-drama that explores a man still dealing with personal tragedy while trying to take a team of misfits into a team that can do well in World Cup qualification games. It is a minor film by Waititi, but it is still a compelling film that plays into Waititi’s exploration of life being a comedy and tragedy.

Films to Avoid

For every film that is about the beautiful game that can range from being great to even something that is considered mediocre. There are films on the beautiful game that should be avoided. In how they portray the beautiful game as well as how they depict certain personalities. 1995’s The Big Green from Walt Disney Studios starring Olivia d’Abo, Steve Guttenberg, and Jay O. Sanders is just this awful film about British schoolteacher who goes to Texas as part of an exchange program by getting a bunch of disinterested misfits to play the game as it just poorly executed. It is meant to be a family comedy, but it is not funny at all as it is also generic in its approach to sport as it features Patrick Renna of The Sandlot as the goalie who is meant to be the comic relief, but it is so awful.

Another film that should be avoided is a bio-pic on Pele in Pele: Birth of a Legend from Jeff and Michael Zimbalist as those two filmmakers should have stuck to documentary films. This is a movie that is as generic as it can get while it is also filled with a lot of inaccuracies on Brazil’s failure at the 1950 FIFA World Cup and on Pele’s life. When you have Vincent D’Onofrio as the team’s head coach, Colm Meany as the Swedish head coach along with great Brazilian actors like Seu Jorge and Rodrigo Santoro and do not give them anything to work with. The film was fucked. It is a boring and formulaic bio-pic but my father’s opinion of it was damning who cited everything about that movie that was wrong.

For all the bad movies that have been around, including awful sports films. There is nothing as bad as 2014’s United Passions by Frederic Auburtin starring Gerard Depardieu, Sam Neill, Tim Roth, Fisher Stevens, Thomas Krestchmann, and many others all funded and produced by FIFA about the creation of FIFA and the World Cup. It is astounding in how fucked up that film is in terms of skirting around certain issues as well as what it wanted FIFA to be seen as. You have parts of the film of kids playing the beautiful game intercut with all these dramatic moments of FIFA officials trying to modernize the game and all of that. It is truly one of the worst films ever made as there is this shot of Depardieu as Jules Rimet holding the old trophy that he is about to award to Brazil as he climbs the stairs of the stadium to see that Uruguay has one. It is the stupidest thing ever captured on film with the most awful music ever. An absolute fucking piece of shit.

Well, that is all for anyone interested in the beautiful game to see what films that are out there to see. It may not be as big as other sports in the U.S. but there is a reason people love futbol around the world as Americans do embrace it slowly. Especially as the World Cup gives American the chance to explore different cultures from around the world and be a part of something that is just universal. Sports do bring people together and futbol is one of those sports that gets people to sing and root for something that is beautiful.

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