Movie Review: Bend It Like Beckham
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know there is an implied sexual situation
between a couple committed to marrying each other.
Homosexuality is discussed. Several of the under 21-year-old
characters do have a beer or a glass of wine, however they
drink responsibly and are of legal age in the UK/Germany, where
the scenes take place. Jess hides her soccer playing from her
family and lies to protect her secret.
- Families can talk about why Jess feels she cannot talk to her family about her love of sports and how she defends her subterfuge.
- How does her father's cricket experience impact his view of Jess' soccer playing?
- What might be the common bond between Irish Joe and Indian Jess?
Jess (Parminder K. Nagra) is the obedient daughter of her tradition-minded parents who have mapped her life's flight path from law degree to Indian husband to perfecting her ability to cook 'aloo gobi'. They have also allowed her to develop her natural soccer playing talents by turning a blind eye to her practices in the park with her best friend, Tony (Ameet Chana). When Jess' older sister, Pinky (Archie Panjabi), prepares to get married, their parents decide that it is time for Jess to settle down. Just as they are telling Jess to curb her sports pursuits, she is offered the opportunity to take her playing to the next level.
Spunky and easy to watch, this feel-good movie bridges the distance between old country and new with the deft touch of a David Beckham penalty kick. For any girl whose athletic endeavors were ever questioned by conservative parents, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM is a color-drenched fairy tale where you know from the opening credits that the story will end in the "happily ever after" category for our plucky heroine. Yes, this sunny little movie is about second generation Indian families in England striving to maintain traditions that kids, more British than Indian, find increasingly irrelevant. However, no matter what your cultural background, the central theme that you should follow your bliss no matter what the hurdle is universal.
While the story might not seem strikingly original, the color-drenched tones of the movie, the over-lit action scenes and the genuine appeal of the characters, especially Jess, make this film a welcome repast, engaging and entertaining from the first moment to the last. Even if the answers seem a bit pat, it is nice to think that complicated relationships and challenges can be resolved with the proper communications and the ability to make nice, round chappatis.
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