To say I am not a sports fan is a decided understatement, but one with which my more athletically inclined friends would heartily agree if expressed in more fulsome terms. However, I find that even some sports enthusiasts remain as ignorant of some aspects of the sporting world as am I.
The Beautiful Game is based on an event many have never heard of: the Homeless World Cup. In fact, it is a tournament which has been celebrated annually for over 20 years and in which 60 countries participate.
Since, in order to participate one must be homeless, the international event has the obvious intention of helping homeless people regain some dignity and purpose in life by playing (as is clear from the film’s title) soccer - or, as people on the other side of the Atlantic prefer to call it, football.
If it had no other merit, the film does draws attention to a truly worthy event – one which deserves as much publicity as the Invictus Games. In fact, the film is quite a success.
Worthwhile and entertaining as the film is, viewers might wish that writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce had chosen to base his script and the story on actual, identifiable participants in the games. As it is, he has chosen to tell of a fictitious group of players who for various reasons, including drug and gambling addictions, have ruined their lives and are now given the chance to find dignity in their participation in the event in Rome. They are led by Mal, played with the expected flair and grace of Bill Nighy, a man who is attempting to give meaning to his life after the death of his spouse and whose determination to win earns him several red cards.
Mal comes into contact with Vinny, a former professional soccer player who failed to fulfill his promise of a spectacular career. Vinny is a man sure of his playing talent, but angry, resentful, and reactionary: an engaging performance by Michael Ward. Despite Vinny’s reluctance and ego, Mal persuades Vinny to join the English team for the competition. While we all know how this is going to end up, the narrative nevertheless manages to provide many unexpected and entertaining, dramatic and humourous moments.
Not only does one learn of the unique format of the Homeless World Cup games, but one is further beguiled by the fact that two teams are managed by women, which adds an interesting and comical dimension to the story while in no way denigrating the women. This is especially true of Susan Wokoma as an exuberant and delightful nun, Sister Protasia, the coach of the South African team and a prominent contribution to the film’s entertainment factor. Throw in some dazzling soccer action, skillful direction by Thea Sharrock, and a variety of sub-plots and the result is totally charming.
The Beautiful Game is a movie most will thoroughly enjoy. It is true that its fictitious storyline tends to be something of a cliché, but it provides a clear opportunity for a film to explore a fact-based event and give fresh expression to the frequently covered theme of the underdog attempting to prevail against all odds.
Though viewers of the film may find it derivative, many, sports fans or not, will find it happily diverting and entertaining. It is perhaps just the entertaining event we all need in these rather dark times.