Release Date: 12 May 2006 (USA)
Milkshake Films, Touchstone Pictures, Hargitay & Hargitay Pictures in
Director: Danny Cannon
Writers: Mike Jefferies (story), Adrian Butchart (story),
Writers: Mike Jefferies (story), Adrian Butchart (story),
Cast: Alessandro Nivola, Toneey Acevedo, Frances Barber, Kuno Becker, David Beckham, Glynis Brooks, Miriam Colon, Christopher Connel, Tracy Dali, Stephen Dillane and others
Genres: Drama, Sport
Genres: Drama, Sport
Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer. However, living in the Barrios section of Los Angeles, he thinks it is only that--a dream. Until one day an extraordinary turn of events has him trying out for Premiership club Newcastle United.
Review :
GOAL is a very good soccer film, sort of a throwback to all the sports films of the 1940's-50's. There were some unexpected surprises, too. I never knew that Newcastle could look so good. I had only seen it depicted in the wonderful "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" TV series, and then parts of it were being dismantled by the Auf Wiedersehen crew - including Christopher Fairbanks, who has a smallish role in GOAL. Do I recommend GOAL for soccer fans? Most certainly; and for fans of British movies, too. There are one or two very minor things about the movie that leave me a bit puzzled, though.
How can Tony Plana, the actor playing the hero's Mexican gardener father and illegal border crosser, realistically play that role when he's got a mouth full of those artificially big, bright Hollywood teeth? I just couldn't get past it - an illegal gardener without a green card but who's got thousands of dollars in dental work blazing across the screen! No self-respecting actor should ever get involved with this absurd fad of capping, whitening, bleaching and brightening. It's fake, fake, fake. As good an actor as Plana is, I'd have disqualified him from the role for that reason alone.
My other comment is really a question. Who is playing the broadcast commentator in the film? The credits say it's someone named Rob Lee. However, the voice seems to ring a bell for me, yet I can't find anyone in football broadcasting named Rob Lee. Whoever it is, he's doing a fine job and sounds very authentic.
How can Tony Plana, the actor playing the hero's Mexican gardener father and illegal border crosser, realistically play that role when he's got a mouth full of those artificially big, bright Hollywood teeth? I just couldn't get past it - an illegal gardener without a green card but who's got thousands of dollars in dental work blazing across the screen! No self-respecting actor should ever get involved with this absurd fad of capping, whitening, bleaching and brightening. It's fake, fake, fake. As good an actor as Plana is, I'd have disqualified him from the role for that reason alone.
My other comment is really a question. Who is playing the broadcast commentator in the film? The credits say it's someone named Rob Lee. However, the voice seems to ring a bell for me, yet I can't find anyone in football broadcasting named Rob Lee. Whoever it is, he's doing a fine job and sounds very authentic.