Thursday, March 20, 2003

Bend it Like Beckham.. who's Beckham?

Finished watching the two movies I rented-by-post (look at my March 18th entry). Bean was absolutely hilarious. It was the typical Bean episode, stretched to about hour and a half, and with a good ending. There's not much of a review for that since it belongs in the category with South Park, Beavis and Butthead Do America, and Scary Movie. :) Not that I have anything against those movies, in fact I love watching them.

Bend it like Beckham, on the other hand, is an excellent movie with some underlying plot. Beckham.. most people know him for being the husband of a former Spice, and a 'relatively good-looking footballer' (quoted from several girls I have asked). In fact, his status in the UK is more than just a pretty face on the pitch. He is the Wayne Gretzky of football in UK. Both women and MEN look up to him, much like how kids look up to Gretzky for hockey, regardless of gender.

The movie itself has a certain feel-good factor to it. An Indian girl, talented with skills football, was scouted by the main supporting actress, who is a member of a girls football team. Despite the parents' rejection and strong opposition, the girl joins the team and discovers that there is more to life than following what your parents tell you. Yes this kind of plotline has been done to death, but it has all the elements of a good movie: love, friendship, betrayal, girls in shorts playing football, girls in locker rooms :D.. did I just sparked your interest in the movie?

Honestly though, it has a good message behind the cheesy plotline. A glimpse into the racism issue that is deeply rooted in society today, how parents are handling homosexuality with their child, and more. I would recommend this movie for movie nights with some friends. I wonder when will the movie be released in North America?

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