Bend It Like Beckham

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Bend It Like Beckham

PG-13

2003

1h 52m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

157 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), the daughter of a strict Indian couple (Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan) 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 (Keira Knightley), 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.

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Critics Consensus

Inspiring, compassionate, and with a sly undercurrent of social commentary, Bend It Like Beckham is a lively feel-good movie that genuinely charms.

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Namrata Joshi

Outlook

01/03/2019

2/4

The film caricaturises every character, save the lead players and their sympathisers, in the most obvious manner.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

10/14/2010

4/5

Superb tale of a girl's struggle for her dreams.

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Jumana Farouky

TIME Magazine

08/01/2008

The acting is as nimble as the footwork.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

May 10

Bend It Like Beckham is a rom com and a sports drama. Rather than choosing desire or identity, it treats them as if they’re interchangeable.

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Kanishk Devgan

Film Companion

03/30/2021

...a very earnest and uplifting exploration of the daughter of Indian immigrants who just wants to play some football.

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Shannon Melero

Jezebel

11/10/2020

For any film to be a great sports film it must have staying power, beyond ample training montages and a great comeback game, and Bend It Like Beckham has all of that in spades and more.

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Dave G

@Davegregorycinema 22h

I had no idea that I would ever watch this movie, and let me tell you, I'm glad that I did, because it was different than what I normally watch. This really had a good dramatic element, and it was an overall feel-good movie with great tension. It did keep me engaged the whole time, so I definitely give it its credit.

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Annette S

@Amelia333 2d

It was a good movie, but I felt Joe didn't need to be part of the main storyline. Making Jules and Jess fight over him was more annoying than it was compelling. The romance plot should’ve strictly followed Jules and Jess, or there shouldn't have been one at all. A platonic love story with sapphic undertones or a lesbian love story would’ve been so much more interesting. Also, Joe being interested in Jess was odd to me. He is likely a few years older than her, and he is her coach. Such a weird power dynamic that felt predatory. Overall, it was a great movie, but Joe’s character ruined some of it for me.

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Jacob B

@JB3.0 6d

An enjoyable sports comedy with great performances from its two leads (to the point that not only are they mistaken for lesbians in the film itself but Keira Knightley herself is open to making the idea canon if anyone was ever arsed to make a sequel), solid social commentary and an overall feel-good vibe. Long story short, Bend it Like Beckham is a predictable - not that this kind of genre was ever the type of film you saw for its plot twists; here, it's the focus on Indian culture and the conflict over the heroine's sister's wedding that contribute to this film standing out - yet delightful watch, even if you don't care about football a.k.a. soccer in Yank-friendly terms.

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alan g

@agenser Feb 4

A beautiful movie about family, friendship andsoccer.

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Andy C

@RT89413398 Nov 15

Corny and hammy throughout - but still a great feel good watch. The script and acting actually improve as the film goes on as if it were made in two halves.

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Will B

@Wiggyb123 Aug 18

Very good film this, didn’t quite know what to expect from it but was well worth a watch. Nothing really to do with Beckham 🤣

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Gurinder Chadha

Director

Parminder Nagra

Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra

Keira Knightley

Jules Paxton

Anupam Kher

Mr. Bhamra

Archie Panjabi

Pinky Bhamra

Shaznay Lewis

Mel

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Bend It Like Beckham: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), the daughter of a strict Indian couple (Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan) 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 (Keira Knightley), 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.

Director: Gurinder Chadha
Producer: Deepak Nayar, Gurinder Chadha
Screenwriter: Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Kintop Pictures, Scion Films, Helkon Media AG, Film Council, British Screen Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 12, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.5M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)