Kids love to play football. Kids love to watch movies. So you'd think Football + Movies = Nirvana. Sadly, not so. For every inspirational fist puncher there's three trash cans full of rotten celluloid that would send a glass eye to sleep. Anyway, I've sifted through a lot of them and in true Eyebrow fashion I'll be your guide through the patchy world of Soccer Cinema. I've missed out the football documentaries, stupid football hooligan movies and silly animal football movies. So, get out the popcorn and settle down with your little Messi for a night at the flicks. 1. Bend It Like Beckham - 6.5/10 - Multicultural women's football story. Quite funny and good football scenes. 2. The Big Green - 3/10 - Utter nonsense for kids. Full of stereotypes and an embarrassment to the game. 3. The Damned United - 9/10 - Charts Cloughie's short reign as Leeds manager in the 70s. Brilliant. 4. Mean Machine - 6.5/10 - Brit take on The Longest Yard. Not great, but entertaining. Not for youngsters. 5. Pelé: Birth of a Legend - 8/10 - Biopic of the great Pele. Great role model for the kids. 6. Goal Trilogy - 6/10 - First one is quite entertaining, but they just become dumber and dumber and dumberer. 7. Shaolin Soccer - 7/10 - Martial arts madness on the football pitch. What's not to like? 8. A Shot at Glory - 7/10 - Robert Duvall, Coisty Pie and Cole Hauser... its all good, baby! 9. Escape to Victory - 8/10 - Caine, Sly and a load of 70s pro's. The Great Escape with footballers! 10. Kicking and Screaming - 5/10 - Even Will Farrell can't save this turkey. 11. United - 7.5/10 - Great stuff! 12. When Saturday Comes - 7/10 - Rags to riches football story with Sean Bean. 13. There's Only One Jimmy Grimble - 7/10 - Who's not dreamed of owning magic football boots?! Good for kids!! 14. The Game of Their Lives - 6.5/10 - Overly sentimental, but entertaining biopic of American soccer team. 15. Mike Bassett: England Manager - 2/10 - Sorry not for me, just wasn't funny at all. 16. Golden Shoes - 6/10 - Cheesy fun, but kids love it! Magic boots again!!!! 17. Gregory's Girl - 8/10 - Teen romance and football. A tricky combination. 18. Alex and Me - 6/10 - Soapy kids stuff, but a fun movie to watch. Anyway there's a few to start with. If anyone has anymore suggestions then add them to the list!!!!!!!!!!!!
Netflix has a couple - Sunderland Til I Die, Antoine Griezmann: The Making of A Legend, Boca Juniors Confidential and another one I can't remember the name of. I loved Looking for Eric (with Cantona)
Great list…I’ve seen a few of the better ones… The Damned United, Victory, United. I remember watching and loving Victory back in the early 80s, long before I loved and appreciated soccer… One sub-genre of “soccer” films I have always kind of liked is the “hooligan” movies…probably not very PC, whatever…The Firm, The Football Factory, Green Street Hooligans, The Rise of the Footsoldier…
There is a 6 part series made this year by Prime Video called This Is Football. It is pretty good. It's not a movie but explores the sports impact. The caption form Amazon Prime.... An emotionally-charged, six-part documentary, exploring football’s extraordinary impact on the world. From the streets of Delhi to the fields of post-war Rwanda to the pitches of the Champions League, this globe-spanning series tells a unique story of the game and its power to unite countries, inspire generations and captivate billions.
So I’m stunned that Bad Parents didn’t make the list. The whole movie is about obsessed soccer-parents. I’m not saying it’s a great movie, but there’s more than a few cringe-worthy scenes that are pretty darned accurate. Pretty much any parent will relate.