Deriving from the same mould as East Is East and Monsoon Wedding, Bend It Like Beckham is set in Britain’s Asian community, but appeals to a wider audience.
Let me tell you a bit about the film…
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Credits:
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Certificate: 12
Running time: 113 mins
Starring: Parminder Nagra, Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan, Juliet Stevenson, Archie Panjabi, Kulvinder Ghir, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keira Knightley, Gary Lineker, John Barnes, Alan Hansen, Shaznay Lewis
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In A Nutshell:
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The story is set in Hounslow, West London and centres on eighteen-year-old Jess Bhambra (Parminder Nagra), a hard-working Indian girl who has a passion for football and idolises David Beckham (hence the title).
Up until now, Jess’ passion and talent for the game had only been put into action during friendly kick-around with the boys in her local park and her Beckham posters on her bedroom wall were the closest she felt that she would ever get to her idol. However, one day Jess’ football talent is spotted by Jules who plays for the Hounslow Harriet- an all-girls football team. Jules recommends Jess to Joe, the good-looking Irish coach of the team, who takes an instant liking to Jess and admires her talent. Jess’ lifetime passion has now become a reality, but unfortunately it is not a plain-sailing ride….
Jess is faced with many challenges due to social and cultural issues. She is from a restrictive Asian family who hold strong cultural values and religious beliefs. They find out about her friendly games in the park with the local boys and do not take to the idea too well. Jess’ parents forbid her to play football as they feel she should be concentrating on her studies and learning how to cook chapattis! Unbeknown to her family, Jess begins to play for the Hounslow Harriets and it is not long before her deception is discovered…
Jess is faced with a dilemma with choosing between her family and her own happiness….
Amidst all this, a love triangle also arises between Jess, Jules and her coach Joe and this adds further complications to Jess’ life.
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Critical Analysis:
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Bend It Like Beckham is an outright entertainer that raises issues that everyone in the audience can relate to in some way or another. Regardless of cultural and ethnic background, all the teenagers in the film have conflict with their parents for some reason or another.
The general messages that are conveyed during the film are about girls gaining equality in what has been a traditionally male dominated sport, and its also about love, respect and being true to yourself, regardless of gender. It is about overcoming social and cultural barriers and maintaining a balance between the two.
Gurinder Chadha has done a remarkable job in fusing the domestic drama-comedy aspect of the film with Bollywood style music, dance and colourfulness that can appeal to a mainstream audience.
Parminder Nagra does great justice to the role of Jess while Jonathon Rhys Meyers and Keira Knightley add the sex appeal.
The film could have been shortened slightly and kept to 90 minutes as opposed to going into extra time lasting a full 113 minutes. Never the less it is entertaining to watch until the very end.
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The Last Word:
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I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and feel that the writer Gurinder Chadha, deserves credit for making a film that is subtle, sympathetic & intelligent, and still hugely humorous and entertaining. She has mastered the art of making a comedy film, which does not patronize the audience, or treat them or the characters like fools.
My favourite characters were Jess’ bitchy and in-your-face sister Pinky and Jules’ Mum who I felt had some of the best lines in the film. My favourite line from Jules’ mum comes when she fears her tomboy daughter is a lesbian and says:
“There’s a reason why Sporty Spice is the only one without a fella.”
It is one-liners like that that made me laugh throughout and leave the cinema grinning from ear to ear.
The film appealed to me as a British Asian because it is set in modern day Britain and it speaks so directly to myself. Aside from that, it has great appeal for the mainstream audience also and the humour is along the same genre of Goodness Gracious Me which has been greeted with much praise and appreciation. I admire how the writer cleverly plucked out attributes of the British culture (not just Asian), exaggerated these features and brought out the lighter side of things without being offensive in any way.
I also loved the way the film touched on social issues like homosexuality and sex discrimination in a light-hearted but effective way.
There are some great cameo appearances from the likes of Shaznay Lewis (Ex-All Saints singer) John Barnes, Gary Lineker and many actors from the hit BBC comedy Goodness Gracious Me. Anupum Kher stars as Jess’ father and does a fantastic job!
I also thought the soundtrack was absolutely brilliant, fusing the best of East and West. It has mixes from Bally Sagoo and music from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Malkit Singh. It brings the vibe of the film straight back into your living room/car!
I do not think that the trailer sold the film well and I would really love everyone to go out and see it and experience the same good feeling that I did! It is quite possibly the best British film of the year, although I have not seen About a Boy yet, but nevertheless I am certain it will be one of the biggest hits of the year, as it deserves to be.