Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006)

82% of critics liked it
(60 reviews)
74% of users liked it
(1,288 ratings)

While professional soccer is still struggling to find a firm foothold in the United States, in the 1970s the North American Soccer League marked the brave first attempt to introduce the game to American sports fans. While most teams had only limited success at best, one did manage to break through… More While professional soccer is still struggling to find a firm foothold in the United States, in the 1970s the North American Soccer League marked the brave first attempt to introduce the game to American sports fans. While most teams had only limited success at best, one did manage to break through to genuine mainstream popularity -- the New York Cosmos. The brainchild of Steve Ross (a passionate soccer fan who was also a major executive at Warner Communications) and Ahmet Ertegun and Nesuhi Ertegun (the founders of Atlantic Records), the Cosmos got off to a rocky start in 1971 (no one was especially happy with the playing field at Randall's Island, and some rowdy fans were known to throw broken glass onto the grass), but things changed in 1975 when the world's most celebrated soccer star, the Brazilian champion Pele, signed with the Cosmos for a five-million-dollar payday. With the arrival of Pele, the Cosmos became a hit with both fans and the media, and the players became the toast of the town, earning their own private table at Studio 54. A number of other international soccer stars were soon lured to the Cosmos, including Franz Beckenbauer, Rodney Marsh, and Carlos Alberto, but with the turn of the decade, the team began losing favor with fans and folded in 1985. Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos is a documentary by Paul Crowder and John Dower that looks at the team's remarkable history and includes interviews with many of the Cosmos' star players (with the notable exception of Pele, who declined to participate). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: John Dower, Paul Crowder
Written By: John Dower, Mark Monroe
Genres: Documentary, Sports & Fitness

In Theaters: May 18, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Oct 3, 2006
Studio: Miramax

Critic Reviews

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
... accomplishes the minor miracle of making you mourn a sports team you likely never knew existed in the first place.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Once in a Lifetime, which relies on interviews and archival footage, may not be a great documentary, but it certainly gets its points across.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Once in a Lifetime would have benefited greatly from historical and outside perspective, but the story on screen is such a kick that even monotone narrator Matt Dillon gets caught up in the excitement.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
A cavalcade of theatrical personalities, juicy war stories, unforgiven grievances and old-school cinema dazzle.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Once in a Lifetime does a wonderful job of showing that this collection of foreigners playing a foreign sport forged one of the great American sports stories.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
The movie is only so-so, borrowing a little from the VH-1 school of popumentary but lacking the snazzy production values.
Tony Macklin, Las Vegas Weekly
Once in a Lifetime is like a soccer team that plays good defense but lacks offense.
Leigh Singer, Film4
Well-researched and exuberantly compiled, this is a thoroughly entertaining tribute to America's first tackle at surgically implanting the beautiful game.
Ryan Cracknell, Calgary Movies
An honest portrayal of the rise and fall of a one-time American sports icon, even if that status was short-lived.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Not being a soccer fan, the Cosmos phenomenon had no impact on me at the time nor does this energetic film change that opinion.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
mostly I'm stricken with nostalgia for '70s fashion and Marv Albert's hairdo
Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
An energetically told tale, with eccentric characters to spare and a nostalgically bittersweet tone.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
With just a little tweaking ... could be reworked in a Christopher Guest-style mockumentary of swollen egos and corporate whimsy.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Packed with observations and recrimations, many of the latter aimed at or by Chinaglia, which makes for some gossipy entertainment.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
... the film is bursting with astonishing old footage, hip tunes, vivid interviews and you-couldn't- make-it-up anecdotes.
Peter Debruge, Miami Herald
... treats its audience like a bunch of attention deficit disorder cases.
Brian Orndorf, eFilmCritic.com
Once in a Lifetime is a marvelous primer on this remarkable event in soccer history, most likely never to be seen again.
Jeff Rusnak, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
It's a rags-to-riches story that shows how American money and imagination revolutionized not just a team, but the entire sport of soccer, back then and still to this day.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
Once in a Lifetime is riveting cinema for at least an hour, after which it starts to feel a bit like thumbing through a scrapbook. But American soccer fans -- and those interested in the business of sports -- will eat it up.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Once in a Lifetime" is a flashy and mildly interesting documentary about the rise and fall of the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League which was a moribund, semi-pro league until Warner Communications CEO Steve Ross stepped in and brought… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Once in a Lifetime" is a flashy and mildly interesting documentary about the rise and fall of the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League which was a moribund, semi-pro league until Warner Communications CEO Steve Ross stepped in and brought Brazilian soccer great Pele to New York. There are some fascinating parallels between the Cosmos and the Yankee teams of the same era, but the Yankees definitely had more personality.(I don't think there is a single reason why soccer has never flourished here. Maybe it is because the United States is a heterogenous country that already has several popular sports, each with their own devoted following. Certainly, nativism is too simplistic an explanation.) Included is archival footage of games along with interviews with management, coaches, players, sportswriters and even the mascot...and oh yeah, almost forgot, Henry Kissinger.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]The effect that the Cosmos had on soccer in the United States was almost negligible and it would not be until the 1994 World Cup, that soccer would be firmly established here with Major League Soccer. The overall mistake was in aiming too high, making the league too top heavy by signing expensive world players and concentrating them in New York, thus laying a foundation of cards. There would have been no problem with more modest aims in starting from the ground up. Plus, the North American Soccer League had 24 teams at its peak compared to 13 currently for Major League Soccer. The documentary lays the blame at the feet of egotistical star player Giorgio Chinaglia. Right reason but wrong ego. Steve Ross should get the lion's share of credit for the success of the league but also the blame for its downfall.[/font]
William G

Interesting enough, but more than a little fascinated with itself.
Wu C

Interesting doc about the history of soccer in America in the 70's.