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Film review
'Goal!' can't get the ball rolling
There's nothing special about the first in a series of a planned three films about a young soccer star.
By PHILIP BOOTH
Published May 11, 2006
The Dream Begins is the frightening subtitle of Goal!, the bland soccer movie from Danny Cannon, the Brit-born director of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and Judge Dredd.The subtitle tips us off that this cliche-ridden sports drama is the first in at least a trilogy; Goal! 2: Living the Dream and Goal! 3 are already in the works. The lead is Kuno Becker, a former star of Mexican television. He plays Santiago Munez, a Mexican-born Los Angeles teen who spends days helping his dad (Tony Plana) maintain the lawns of great estates, nights working as a busboy at a Chinese restaurant and weekends kicking up a ruckus as the best player on a local league. One fateful afternoon, he's observed by Glen Foy (Stephen Dillane), a talent scout and former footballer who makes a quick call and handily convinces Newcastle United's manager (Marcel Iures) to give the kid a chance. Miracle one. Alas, there are obstacles, beginning and ending with Santiago's father, who firmly believes that lofty ambitions have no place in his home: "He chose a stupid dream," he tells the boy's grandmother (Miriam Colon). She serves as something like the fairy godmother in this story, making it possible for her grandson to get to London. More disappointments - a poor tryout on a muddy field, an asthma-related disaster - and even more miraculous second chances await the would-be soccer hero in England. There, he befriends a fellow trainee (Kevin Knapman) and gets romantic with a fun-loving nurse (Anna Friel). Along the way, we get cameo appearances by real soccer stars including David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Zinedine Zidane. The plot maneuvers are standard-issue, and Becker's performance is one-dimensional. So maybe Goal! works best as educational fare, with sequences shot at several matches. Soccer devotees are as fanatical as fans of American football, so maybe they will love this movie and the sequels. Or maybe not. Goal! The Dream BeginsGrade: C Director: Danny Cannon Cast: Kuno Becker, Alessandro Nivola, Tony Plana, Miriam Colon, Marcel Iures, Stephen Dillane, Anna Friel, Kevin Knapman Screenplay: Mike Jefferies and Adrian Butchart Rating: PG; language, sexual situations Running time: 118 min.
[Last modified May 10, 2006, 11:45:02]
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