The Bend it Like Beckham Thread (shhhh, don't tell edesignuk)

[MacRy]

I know that this is hardly topical but someone mentioned this film to me today and I can't help feeling that I saw a different version to everyone else. There was a huge amount of praise for this film and the amount of great reviews on the cover of the DVD suggests that it was a great film but as I recall it was total crap. Not the most intelligent review in the world i'll admit but that's how I saw it. My fiance and I were both totally disappointed after watching it. Did anyone else find it to be 'total crap' or was it just us? I felt cheated and dirty after watching it and have been suffering from the feeling that I have been robbed of an hour and a half of my life that could have been better spent (maybe rearranging my sock drawer). It was just so predictable and stereotypical.

Sorry edesignuk, I know that the lovely Keira is fairly pleasing on the eye (apart from the whole scary teeth thing that frightens me a little) but surely you must think that this film was pap too?

Or maybe I did see a different version of it.......

[edesignuk]

Yeah, didn't think much of it either :eek: Not the worst film I have ever seen by any means, but not great.

[zimv20]

it's all about managing expectations. and, art is subjective.

i enjoyed the film. i found parminder nagra charming.

[PlaceofDis]

didnt like it myself, but there have been worse movies too....dont worry your not alone...

[MacRy]

Thank god i'm not alone. I thought that I had rented it from a parallel universe or something. There certainly have been worse films i'll admit but that definitely stands out as a bit of a stinker for me.

Now about Keira's scary teeth thing....... ;)

[iGav]

I know that the lovely Keira is fairly pleasing on the eye (apart from the whole scary teeth thing that frightens me a little) but surely you must think that this film was pap too?

You sound surprised? haven't you seen the rest of her films? :eek: :p :p :p

Anyway, what's this teeth thing? :p :p :p

[mkrishnan]

Hmmm...I had a friend in Sociology back in Detroit, who originally adored the movie, and who later had very strong feelings against the movie, because she felt like it didn't go far enough as a feminist. The latter feelings prevailed, and I didn't see it until much later, but when I finally did, I was biased against it because of what she thought. But when I did see it, I thought it was an okay, cute movie, although nothing particularly ground-breaking. In terms of a movie that had the potential to open eyes to what the experience within the Indian diaspora is like, well, it wasn't even our Joy Luck Club, which is saying something! (That something would be..."I am like a tiger, leaping from the trees to set you free!" :D)

But now...robbing you of an hour and a half of your life? Did you see First Wives Club? Now that's time I will never get back again! :D Or, erm, any movie with Steven Segal in it, except maybe for Under Siege 2. :p Or Star Wars II for that matter! Now those are scars that will never heal! :eek:

[Mr. Durden]

(apart from the whole scary teeth thing that frightens me a little)


Thanks a lot MacRy. Now you have gone and made me spew Pepsi out my nose.

I read an article from Somebody-Whatshisname Roper (from Ebert and Roper, the movie critics) and he was going off on how studios twist what you say to make it sound like a positive review. He said something about Matrix Revolutions attempting to be visual poetry and blah blah blah. An overall average to poor review. but the studio took that quote and proclaimed, "Whatshisname Roper - VISUAL POETRY!" Theres not a single professional movie critic that can be trusted, much less the one liners the studios want to tout.

As for the movie itself. i didnt see it and wont now. Thanks for the warning.

[wordmunger]

I thought it was an entertaining little movie. One review -- I can't remember where I saw it -- summed it up nicely: "My big, fat, Indian soccer game." Harmless fun.

[puckhead193]

Wow this is weird, i just saw that movie on TV :eek: I saw it before i thought it was good, not the greatest sport movie, but it was interesting.

[Doctor Q]

I thought the movie was charming, but I'm not allowed to use that word here anymore.

On the other hand, I thought Raising Arizona was the least engaging movie I had ever seen, and my friends tell me it was great. So I guess my opinions are wrong.

[MacRy]

You sound surprised? haven't you seen the rest of her films? :eek: :p :p :p

Anyway, what's this teeth thing? :p :p :p

That's a fair point....most of her films have been a bit ropey haven't they.

As for the teeth thing.....she really has a hell of a set of gnashers on her doesn't she! They kind of remind me of the Alien from the movie of the same name. If I met her in a bar (without knowing who she is) and was lucky enough for her to not find me the hideously ugly freak that I am, I would approach thinking to myself "Mmmm, tasty" (in a slightly lacsivious way obviously) flash her a smile......she would do the same and it would be "OH MY GOD SHE'S GOING FOR MY FACE!!!!" :eek:

[miloblithe]

To be fair, I think this movie is best judged by 10-year old girls and (perhaps) their soccer moms.

That said, I enjoyed it well enough for what it seemed to be: a kids movie about soccer-playing girls. The Indian diaspora element (weren't they Pakistanis though?) wasn't the best, I'll agree.

[mkrishnan]

That said, I enjoyed it well enough for what it seemed to be: a kids movie about soccer-playing girls. The Indian diaspora element (weren't they Pakistanis though?) wasn't the best, I'll agree.

I don't think so, because they had Sikh names, but to be honest I'm not sure. Actually, that's a funny point, because the diaspora in the US doesn't really make such a strong distinction between Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi, but I guess in the UK those distinctions are stronger.

But anyway, I think the movie appeals to more than just kids -- I think it appeals to people who had these same kinds of difficulties and turmoils growing up.

[yellow]

That was Keira? Ooooooooh... I didn't pay too much attention, I was on my honeymoon in the Bahamas when it was on TV in the suite. But I guess now that I think about it, it was her. Liked the short hair!

[stubeeef]

I've never seen it, but based on reading everyones remarks, on a scale from 1-10 I would give it a 5.1. :p

Afterall does one really need to ACTUALLY see a movie to review or rate it? ;)

[mkrishnan]

That was Keira? Ooooooooh... I didn't pay too much attention, I was on my honeymoon in the Bahamas when it was on TV in the suite. But I guess now that I think about it, it was her. Liked the short hair!

This thread can't be complete with out at least one Keira pic!

http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/miscreview/benditlikebeckham2.jpg

Parminder is cute too, though! Heh, what the heck, Johnathan is even cute! :p :eek: :D

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/fox_searchlight/bend_it_like_beckham/_group_photos/jonathan_rhys_meyers5.jpg

[zelmo]

That was Keira? Ooooooooh... I didn't pay too much attention, I was on my honeymoon in the Bahamas when it was on TV in the suite. But I guess now that I think about it, it was her. Liked the short hair!

Keira who? Parminder is such a cutie pie I forgot KK was even in that flick. (sorry, e)

OT, the movie was okay, but not worthy of the write ups I'd read beforehand. Seemed like something my daughter would want if she even remotely liked soccer. As it is, she sticks to the Hillary Duff / Lindsay Lohan type fluff.

[clayj]

I don't think so, because they had Sikh names, but to be honest I'm not sure. Actually, that's a funny point, because the diaspora in the US doesn't really make such a strong distinction between Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi, but I guess in the UK those distinctions are stronger.They were most definitely NOT Pakistani, because Jess (Parminder Nagra) attacks a player on an opposing team after she refers to Jess as a "Paki". In real life, Parminder Nagra is Sikh. Click here (http://www.parminderonline.com/personal.html) for more about her.

[rkphoto]

That was Keira? Ooooooooh... I didn't pay too much attention, I was on my honeymoon in the Bahamas when it was on TV in the suite. But I guess now that I think about it, it was her. Liked the short hair!

That's really weird. I was working in the Bahamas last week and saw it in my hotel as well. Maybe Bend it like Beckham is the National movie of the Bahamas or something. Anyway, I thought it was decent. My only problem was that the whole question of whether the Indian girl went off to college or stayed at home and got married to another Indian guy was moot since we all know she went on to college and then Med School since she's now a doctor in Chicago on "ER". Anyway Keira Knightley looked pretty nice to me, I didn't even notice her teeth.

[pseudobrit]

One review -- I can't remember where I saw it -- summed it up nicely: "My big, fat, Indian soccer game." Harmless fun.

Haha! Perfect review.

Well acted and executed but overwhelmingly and disappointingly formulaic.

[dotdotdot]

WAIT - She has bad teeth!?!?!?

Anyway, I never saw it, but the worst movie EVER MADE ON EARTH:

Fatso

[wrc fan]

I thought it was a cute movie. I saw it before it was popular in the US, and I just saw it was playing at the local independant theater and I thought that my girlfriend would like it. It didn't hurt that Parminder is so cute either ;)

[James Philp]

That movie was ok, not all it could have been though.
I live around that area of london, and could relate (having gone out with an idian girl myself once - her parents didn't approve of me either!)

If you're looking for a TERRIBLE move, try:
Going Overboard
With Adam Sandler

WORST MOVIE EVER!
Look it up - (IMDB) ouch!
80mins you'll want back straight away!

[Kato C.]

The film was a hoot. I loved the older Indian grandmothers grabbing their cell phones and bragging up how their men were "better." Sure it's not art but a nice night out. My wife and I laughed through the whole thing. Recommended it to the younger folks in our house....no takers on movies rec'd by the older generation.

[James Philp]

WAIT - She has bad teeth!?!?!?

Anyway, I never saw it, but the worst movie EVER MADE ON EARTH:

Fatso
That gets a respectable 5.4 on IMDB
Going overboard is apparenly the 23rd worst movie ever made! (though watching the other 22 may give me a hernia, so i wont research!)

[nagromme]

Haven't seen this one--but it reminds me of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" which I think I saw in the THEATER in a parallel universe.

Everyone around me was laughing until they were crying, at every LITTLE thing. Things I really thought were a little funny, but not THAT funny. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone! And then of course people went on about it for days and days.

It's not that it was a bad movie--if I'd seen it out of the blue I would have enjoyed it enough to be worth my time. But it wasn't THAT good in my opinion. And the whole world seemed to think otherwise.

Whenever that happens, I tend to stop liking something that I COULD have appreciated a little bit. It's not that I like to pose as a rebel--I'm happy to like some things that are very popular, like The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Buffy, the Lord of the Rings, etc.

But I officially hate "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and I know it's because other people like it way TOO much. Otherwise I could have just enjoyed it and forgotten it. I call this the "Wallace and Grommit" effect. That's another story :D

[zimv20]

GQ has posted its list of the 25 best god-awful films ever made (http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_1444)

[Blue Velvet]

GQ has posted its list of the 25 best god-awful films ever made (http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_1444)

Yay, it's got Cocktail in there. The worst film I've ever seen in the cinema, bar none. ;)

[zimv20]

Yay, it's got Cocktail in there. The worst film I've ever seen in the cinema, bar none. ;)
for me, that honor goes to Armageddon. i couldn't stop laughing.

[WildCowboy]

Far and away the best part of Bend It Like Beckham was the Aloo Gobi featurette...sorry, no Keira there.

[Lacero]

I enjoyed Bend It Like Beckham. I thought that east indian girl was better looking than the main character. Oh well, I guess I'll pop in the DVD again, but then again, the movie was too formulaic for me to want to watch again.

I could see the whole Dad/polo thing coming from miles away.

[mkrishnan]

Yay, it's got Cocktail in there. The worst film I've ever seen in the cinema, bar none. ;)

Hehe...I haven't seen very many of the movies on that list, but I liked the ones I saw. I didn't think Vanilla Sky was *that* bad, and I liked New Jack City! Excellent launching pad for Ice-T's SVU career! :D

[ham_man]

I actually like this movie. Peronally, I think that Jess is kinda hot... :rolleyes:

[wrc fan]

I actually like this movie. Peronally, I think that Jess is kinda hot... :rolleyes:

You're not the only one. :D

[nagromme]

If you've seen "The Haunting" with Owen Wilson et al, that's bad enough to laugh until you cry.

[MacRy]

I think the formulaic nature of the film is what makes it so bad for me.

There does appear to be a fair bit of support for this film here. How would I go about doing a poll for the definitive answer?

[clayj]

I could see the whole Dad/polo thing coming from miles away.It was cricket, actually. Polo really is a sport of the aristrocracy; cricket can be played by anyone with a ball, a pair of wickets, and a bat or two.

[mkrishnan]

If you've seen "The Haunting" with Owen Wilson et al, that's bad enough to laugh until you cry.

Oooh, and let us not forget Star Trek V...the one where they travel to the center of the universe and find God. I swear I had dissociative amnesia from that movie. It was so painful I blocked the memory of it out of my mind, and later couldn't even recognize even the most basic aspects of its plot when other people talked about it. Oh, I can smile about it now, but at the time it was terrible! (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/SHAKESPEARE'S-SISTER-lyrics-The-Smiths/425C972C2CB11A63482568AB0028FBAB)

[Sox]

When you're dating a female collegiate soccer player, you have to go see movies like this in the theater.

She liked it, but bagged on the lack of dicernable soccer skills by the actors (predictable). However, she was especially put off during the "team practicing in sports bras" montage. I mentioned something about having to drop by practice more often, but couldn't finish the sentence due to the sudden sharp pain in my ribs.

After we saw it, she walked around for about a week saying things like, "just because I wear trackies and play sport doesn't mean I'm a lesbian."