"Kick Like Beckham" - funny romantic sports comedy

"Kick Like Beckham" – a funny romantic sports comedy

The battle of a teenage girl dreaming of a different life than the one her parents want her to have

A sports romantic comedy with David Beckham's last name in the title sounds promising for a movie that hit theaters in 2002. But is "Bend it Like Beckham", or "Ritai kato Beckham" translated into Bulgarian, really worth watching, or just fans of the great English game and the incredible midfielder of Manchester United will be attracted to this production? We'll give you a few reasons to judge for yourself.

Yes, you won't see David Beckham in the movie, nor will you watch great sports competitions. This is more than certain, given that the director is the British woman with Indian roots, Gurinder Chadha, and the screenwriter is Paul Mayeda Burgess. However, the commonality with one of the most liked players is related to his skills and the desire of an 18-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants in London to become part of the national team and "kick the ball just like Beckham", i.e. to play in his style and with his qualities. However, her parents do not allow her to practice football because she is a girl. However, she joins the local women's team, which could open the door to big time football.

The name of the main heroine is Jess Bhamra and her role is played by Parminder Nagra. According to her parents, Jess should study law at university, but her true passion is football, and her big hero is, of course, England's best footballer in the popular sport – David Beckham. Despite her mother and father's eagerness for her to follow in the footsteps of her role as Archie Panjabi's sister Pinky, she prefers to sneak away and train secretly in the park.

One day Jules, played by the lovely Keira Knightley, notices her skills and asks her to try out for the Hounslow Harriers team, coached by ex-top player Joe, who ends his career with a horrific knee injury. Joe is played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who does a wonderful job of acting.

Like Jess and Jules, she has problems with her parents, specifically her mother, who wants her daughter to be more feminine and less obsessed with soccer. However, her father has a different view of the situation and supports her interest in the game. Jules dreams of one day going to the United States where ladies can play in their own professional league.

The film, of course, became a big hit in England. The director does a wonderful job capturing some moments of tension in the Bhamra family household. Jess' parents are more than horrified by their daughter's rebellious behavior, who claims that anyone can cook a traditional Indian dish, but not everyone can kick like Beckham. Jess's parents' hopes are for her to get engaged to Tommy, played by Amiet Chana, but he secretly confesses that he is gay.

There are a number of comical situations in the film, and one of them involves Jules's mother's concern that he is having a secret lesbian relationship with Jess. Even such moments, however, do not take away from the enjoyment of watching how the main character sticks to her dream of becoming a football player, despite the lack of support and heaps of obstacles.

"Kick Like Beckham" is a teen comedy that shows all the problems of a growing man who is put at a crossroads by his parents' different opinion about continuing life and professional development. You can certainly enjoy the scenes and events that may sound quite routine, but ultimately the acting, direction and last but not least, the music play a huge role in making the film something good.