Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

85% of critics liked it
(148 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(448,109 ratings)

An independent-minded young woman discovers the joys of football, much to her family's chagrin, in this upbeat British comedy drama. Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is an 18-year-old growing up in West London, where her family has taken every effort to stay in touch with its Indian heritage. Jess'… More An independent-minded young woman discovers the joys of football, much to her family's chagrin, in this upbeat British comedy drama. Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is an 18-year-old growing up in West London, where her family has taken every effort to stay in touch with its Indian heritage. Jess' father and mother (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) are after their daughter to go to law school, learn to cook a traditional Indian dinner, and settle down with a nice Indian boy -- the latter of which is high on the agenda of her older sister Pinky (Archie Panjabi), who is soon to wed her longtime beau Teetu (Kulvinder Ghir). However, her family is unaware that Jess has a secret passion -- football (or soccer, as it's known in North America). While Jess' enthusiasm for football star David Beckham is obvious, given the fact his photos cover the walls of her room, her parents don't know that in her spare time she likes to play a friendly game in the park with some of the boys in the neighborhood. One day, while Jess and her pals kick the ball around, she meets Jules (Keira Knightley), who is quite impressed with Jess' skills. Jules plays with a local semi-pro women's football team, the Hounslow Harriers, and she thinks Jess has what it takes to make the team. Jess knows that her parents would never approve of their daughter playing football, so she doesn't tell them, and starts spinning an increasingly complex series of lies as she tries to keep up a double life as a student and a footballer. Jess soon discovers a number of her new friends have their own problems to overcome; Jules dreams of playing pro ball in America, but has to deal with her stubborn and disapproving mother (Juliet Stevenson), while Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Hounslow's Irish coach, still struggles with the disappointment of a career as a professional athlete which was dashed by a knee injury. Bend It Like Beckham was a significant box-office success in Great Britain and Europe, but didn't reach American theaters until nearly a year after it debuted in the U.K. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: Gurinder Chadha
Written By: Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra, Paul Mayeda Burges, Paul Mayeda Berges
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 1, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Sep 30, 2003
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Critic Reviews

Jumana Farouky, TIME Magazine
The acting is as nimble as the footwork.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Fine character work by Juliet Stevenson, Archie Panjabi, and Bollywood regular Anupam Kher makes this well worth seeing.
Derek Elley, Variety
More rooted in small-screen sitcom than anything deeper.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
Every generation has to discover the same clichés that were drummed into previous generations, and kids could do worse than to learn them from this film.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As Spencer Tracy once said of Katharine Hepburn, there's not much meat there, but what's there is choice.
John Anderson, Newsday
Beckham is so earnestly yearning it packs an emotional impact far greater than the sum of its parts.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Superb tale of a girl's struggle for her dreams.
, Film4
A comedy with heart and substance.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Chadha does a decent job directing, while Parminder Nagra does a good job acting. The movie's main problem is that it's a little more fussy than it needs to be.
Alan Morrison, Empire Magazine
Delightfully upbeat, it will send you back out onto the street grinning from ear to ear.
, Time Out
Nagra and Knightley have winning personalities, but credit should also go to writer/director Chadha for getting the balance right between humour and pathos, and sporting and romantic action.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Formulaico do início ao fim, não convence nem mesmo em suas seqüências envolvendo futebol %u2013 apesar da boa dinâmica entre Nagra e Knightley.
Ethan Alter, NYC Film Critic
It reminds you why these formulas are still around, because every now and then, they really do work.
Tony Medley, tonymedley.com
Suffice it to say this is a delightful, uplifting treat, whether you like soccer or not (and I don't).
Jay Antani, Los Angeles Alternative
its irresistible charms and performances are what linger and make Beckham a popcorn, er, samosa flick worth savoring.
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly
The enchanting performance by Parminder Nagra gives the movie a ton of heart and soul.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Film C

A thoroughly enjoyable movie thats worth a watch! Nice to see us Brits have still got it!
Lewis C

Bend It Like Beckham is a fun movie about a British Indian girl named Jess (Parminder Nagra) who loves the game of soccer more than anything, but is encouraged by her traditional parents to abandon her passion and focus on other areas of her life, like finding a husband. She lies and… More
Bend It Like Beckham is a fun movie about a British Indian girl named Jess (Parminder Nagra) who loves the game of soccer more than anything, but is encouraged by her traditional parents to abandon her passion and focus on other areas of her life, like finding a husband. She lies and defies them in order to keep playing, but her deceit causes friction at home, while a love triangle develops between Jess, her coach (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), and her best friend on the team (Keira Knightly). It may not be an original story, but it's a fun one that's frequently joyous to watch, and the focus on Indian culture made it seem fresh to me. The acting and soccer match scenes are equally well done, and the themes of culture clash and following one's dreams will be easy to sympathize with for most people. Bend It Like Beckham is just a good, solid, entertaining family flick to watch. The movie was clearly made with a respect for Punjabi culture and a genuine love for soccer. It's hard not to like; give it a try.
Bethany M

Amazing! One of my all time favourite films!
Candy R

An Indian teenager Jess wants to play football like her hero Beckham. She plays for a local women's team in secret from her traditional family. A young Keira Knightley plays her friend.
Dead A

Watched this long time ago and liked it. It was good.
Anthony L

Filmed in my manor. Shame it was shit!
Thomas B

this is a really good flick. whilst it initially comes off as a run of the mill chick flick, there is plenty in there for guys too, especially keira knightley who is looking gorgeous as always.
Arash X

So many cliches here But the movie is fun & funny and the whole indian thing saves it from being pure cliche, Keira Knightley is annoying like always with her horrible acting
Alice S

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is the sexiest guy in Britain and he knows it. With those glassy eyes and pouty lips and carelessly perfect hair ARGH...Movie deftly tackles themes of intolerance and acceptance in realms of culture, sexual orientation, and gender roles. More times I watch it… More
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is the sexiest guy in Britain and he knows it. With those glassy eyes and pouty lips and carelessly perfect hair ARGH...Movie deftly tackles themes of intolerance and acceptance in realms of culture, sexual orientation, and gender roles. More times I watch it though, the more formulaic I think the plot is - Jess sneaks out, gets caught, sneaks out, gets caught, et cetera. Keira makes me cringe.
Lanning :

03/08/08 Update: Just watched this again for the first time in, apparently, two years. This is really well done. Nagra is, with all sincerity, brilliant, and Anupam Kher as her father, Mr. Bhamra, is worthy of a supporting Oscar nomination. I rarely shed a tear… More
03/08/08 Update: Just watched this again for the first time in, apparently, two years. This is really well done. Nagra is, with all sincerity, brilliant, and Anupam Kher as her father, Mr. Bhamra, is worthy of a supporting Oscar nomination. I rarely shed a tear when I watch movies, but I shed more than a few as this one was coming to an end. I'm bumping this up to five stars and adding it to my Top 100 list right now. 03/04/06: Dreaded seeing this, but friends were insistent. What a wonderful movie! I'll never be the world's biggest soccer fan, and fortunately this had less to do with soccer and more to do with race and family issues. Parminder Nagra must do more movies. Keira Knightley is leaving her behind -- in terms of number of movies cranked out, not in terms of talented performances.
Michael S

One of the great Girl-power movies.
Alexander W

Mr Beckham ought to be proud to have his name on such a great film.
xGary X

Yet another of the endless and totally interchangable british feelgood comedies. Switch the football element for music, you've got The Commitments. Switch it for ballet, you've got Billy Elliot. Switch it for stripping, you've got The Full Monty etc etc etc. Not awful… More
Yet another of the endless and totally interchangable british feelgood comedies. Switch the football element for music, you've got The Commitments. Switch it for ballet, you've got Billy Elliot. Switch it for stripping, you've got The Full Monty etc etc etc. Not awful by any means, but will a british scriptwriter PLEASE come up with a new idea??
Rachel F

I love this movie. Keira Knightley's first and one of her best.
Sophie B

Really good this is a good feel good film!
Ross C

Heart warming British story of an Indian girl overcoming opposition to play footy.
Dean M

Brightest and funniest of two talented girls who aspire to soccer (football) greatness against their parents' wishes. This comedy film delivers a belly full of feel-good laughs.
Tim B

Wildly popular. I don't see it.
Megan S

Cute movie.
Jose Z

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