Bend It Like Beckham main backdrop
Bend It Like Beckham main poster

Bend It Like Beckham

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6.3/10 • 1.9K

2002-04-111h 52m

ComedyDramaRomance

Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

Directors
Gurinder Chadha
Editors
Justin Krish

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Parminder Nagra

    Parminder Nagra

    Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra

  2. Keira Knightley

    Keira Knightley

    Juliette 'Jules' Paxton

  3. Jonathan Rhys Meyers

    Jonathan Rhys Meyers

    Joe

  4. Anupam Kher

    Anupam Kher

    Mr. Bhamra

  5. Shaheen Khan

    Shaheen Khan

    Mrs. Bhamra

  6. Archie Panjabi

    Archie Panjabi

    Pinky Bhamra

  7. Frank Harper

    Frank Harper

    Alan Paxton

  8. Juliet Stevenson

    Juliet Stevenson

    Paula Paxton

  9. Shaznay Lewis

    Shaznay Lewis

    Mel

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Apr 22, 2024

6/10

"Jess" (Parminder Nagra) and "Jules" (Keira Knightly) are friends drawn together by their love of football. The thing is, neither of their mother's are exactly enamoured of the idea. With her sister's marriage looming, and her mother married at fifteen, "Jess" is facing significant hostility from her mother (Shaheen Khan) whilst "Jules" is struggling to convince her own mother (Juliet Stevenson) that she's not going to end up a lesbian with tree-trunk thighs. There's little danger of the former though as both have the hots for coach "Connor" (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). As the girls' team becomes more successful both have to juggle their family's reservations, their own lives and their love of the game - which actually features very sparingly. There are a few titter moments now and again, but I found that for the most part this is just a film about stereotypes - real or imaginary - populated by some really mediocre acting and not greatly enhanced by some banal writing and the always wooden JRM. It's also quite curious that it's co-produced by BSkyB yet they used the BBC's "Match of the Day" presentation team and their legendary commentator John Motson to give the thing a bit of body. It's harmless fun, quite possibly inspiring girls to play the game and some parents to let them whilst reminding us of "Brand Beckham" at it's most potent.

Media

  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster
  • Bend It Like Beckham poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$3,500,000.00
Revenue
$76,585,951.00
Keywords
london, englandsportstraditionculture clashimmigrationwomen's football (soccer)multiculturalismfootball (soccer)familylgbtwoman directorteen dramabritish asianbritish-indiansports comedy