Goal! (2005)

Director:

Danny Cannon

Writers:

Mike Jefferies (story) and
Adrian Butchart (story) ...

Release Date:

12 May 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Every Dream Has A Beginning

Plot:

Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer...

Plot Keywords:

Newcastle United | Profanity | Coach | Customs | Exclamation Point In Title

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Leonardo Guerra	...	10-Year-Old Santiago
Tony Plana	...	Hernan Munez
Miriam Colon	...	Mercedes
Kuno Becker	...	Santiago Munez
Jorge Cervera	...	Cesar
Herman Chavas	...	Referee
Alfredo Rodríguez	...	Julio
Donald Li	...	Chinese Restaurant Manager
Kate Tomlinson	...	Val
Jake Johnson	...	Tom
Zachary Johnson	...	Rory
Stephen Dillane	...	Glen Foy
Sean Pertwee	...	Barry Rankin
Jonathan Hernandez	...	Armando
Alessandro Nivola	...	Gavin Harris

Also Known As:

Goal! The Dream Begins (USA)
Goal!: The Impossible Dream (Europe: English title) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and a brief drug reference; Rated PG for language, sexual situations, and some thematic material including partying. (edited from PG-13 version)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:12A | Norway:A | Ireland:PG | Finland:S | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:Btl | Netherlands:AL | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:PG | Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:10 (canton of Zurich) | Brazil:Livre | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:PG (edited version) | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Brentford F.C, Griffin Park, Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Milkshake Films

Trivia:

Michael Winterbottom was the original director of the film. Production had actually begun when he left the project because the Producers demanded the script to be finished prior to commencing Principal Photography.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Santiago and Glen are traveling over the Tyne Bridge on their way for what is Santiago's first sight of the stadium, they clearly leave the bridge and Glen says 'There it is'. Then it immediately cuts to a shot of St.James' park which in actual fact is a fair few miles away from the Bridge itself. It is a noticeable error as we can see from outside Santiago's window an office block which is evidently built at the entrance to the Tyne Bridge.

Quotes:

Santiago Munez: I don't know where home is.
Roz Harmison: Yeah ya do. It's green an' it's got a goal post at each end.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)

Soundtrack:

Acquiesce

Finally, a football film worth talking about!

This film is basically Rocky but with a football. It's a rags-to-riches tale of a promising Mexican youngster with nothing in life, apart from incredible footballing skills.

Some of the CGI football shots are poor, but the budget for this film was not massive, and they did what they could. The use of cameos from the likes of Shearer, Zidane, Beckham and Raul added to both the credibility and believability of the overall piece.

The film is sad and at times funny, and can be enjoyed by the whole family, including people with no interest in football. It's a story of triumph over adversity, and of people pulling together to help someone get ahead in life, by doing what they do best.

Overall, this is the best football film ever made, in my opinion. You can tell that the people who made it knew their subject matter - something that simply cannot be said for Green Street (Hooligans) which concentrated on fan violence, rather than the beautiful game.