Football (2001)

Lots of young British boys want to become great footballers. Does young Midge have what it takes? Watch as he goes from cradle to...?

Director:

Gaby Dellal

Writer:

Gaby Dellal

Stars:

Helena Bonham Carter, Ewan Stewart, Sam Williams

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Mum (as Helena Bonham-Carter)
Ewan Stewart	...	Dad
Sam Williams	...	Midge, 12 years
Eileen Webb	...	Nan
Stace Davis	...	Midge, 9 years
Rudi Tombs	...	Midge, 5 years
Jack Oxtoby	...	Midge, 2 years
Jasmine Davis	...	Baby Midge
Dion Macky	...	Diego
Danny Cequiera	...	Teacher
Arnold Mybo	...	Torch Kid #1
Anthony Wordsworth	...	Torch Kid #2
Shaka Lynch	...	Torch Kid #3
Todd Timney-Fowler	...	Torch Kid #4
Sonny Rooney	...	Torch Kid #5

Storyline

In what looks like a council flat, a distracted chain-smoking mom, who's at her wit's end what with the noise of her colicky infant, hangs a twirling ball over his crib. The child, a lad named Midge, quiets immediately. As he grows older, his mum seems oblivious to his existence and to his increasingly adept ball-handling skills. By age 12, Midge and the twirling ball are on the football pitch; but what about mum?

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Plot Keywords:

school | talent | television | soccer

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Sport

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Pointless, obvious little short.

I've seen some great, important short films; those by Svankmajer and Bunuel's "Un Chien Andalou" are fantastic radical cinema. This recent effort, which I came across one late night on British television, is a very minor film, which makes, as the previous reviewer says, a very obvious point. That football is effectively the religion of so many, from an early age onwards. Does it need a film, a film with no other real raison d'etre, to state this *truism*?

There's no real comment or anything, or character, just images reflecting a liking for football in various settings. Nothing in this film really sank in, perhaps bar the image of Helena Bonham Carter making herself look a little silly. Again we have the actress in "Fight Club"-alike anti-type mode; increasingly alluring yes, but that's about all one can say about her brief appearance here. What was she doing in this film? I obviously agree with Boo the Moo that it's good to see her doing a British short film, but surely she ought to have appeared in a more interesting one...!

Anyway, this is a pointless short, a waste of (barely) seven minutes, if such a thing is possible.

Rating:- **/*****