Goal! The Dream Begins
(2005)
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| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
Goal! The Dream Begins
(2005)
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| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Leonardo Guerra | ... | |
| Tony Plana | ... | ||
| Miriam Colon | ... | ||
| Kuno Becker | ... | ||
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Jorge Cervera | ... |
Cesar
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Herman Chavas | ... |
Referee
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Alfredo Rodríguez | ... |
Julio
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| Donald Li | ... |
Chinese Restaurant Manager
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Kate Tomlinson | ... |
Val
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| Jake Johnson | ... |
Tom
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| Zachary Johnson | ... |
Rory
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| Stephen Dillane | ... | ||
| Sean Pertwee | ... | ||
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Jonathan Hernandez | ... |
Armando
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| Alessandro Nivola | ... | ||
Santiago's father, Hernan Munez, smuggled his penniless Mexican family over the US border to seek a better, albeit modest future in L.A. Eldest son Santiago dreams of more, like native Angelinos, then joining Hernan's gardening firm. His change arrives when a British ex-pro spots him as an exceptional soccer natural and promises he can arrange a real British talent scout to check him out. Although that falls trough and dad forbids it, Santiago accepts grandma's savings to try out with English premier league club Newcastle. Despite his asthma, he gets in and befriends the freshly transferred, desperately undisciplined bad boy star scorer, party animal Gavin Harris, who becomes his bothersome house-mate, a recipe for trouble and yet each's salvation. Written by KGF Vissers
Overwhelming under-dog story that has been done a hundred times and is definitely cliché-riddled, but I loved it nevertheless. "Goal!: The Journey Begins" is the first of a trilogy as a young Mexican illegal immigrant (Kuno Becker) in Los Angeles has a chance at the brass ring in England of all places playing soccer for one of their professional teams after being discovered by scout/former player Stephen Dillane. Tony Plana (always under-rated and excellent) is outstanding as Becker's cold father and Marcel Iures gives an incredible performance as the British team's head coach. Becker also unwittingly teaches a brash superstar (Alessandro Nivola) who has forgotten the real reasons why he plays soccer why the game is so important and also finds companionship in a strange land with beautiful nurse Anna Friel. Great cinematography and a wonderful score make for a very moving and entertaining experience as the film touches strong emotions of love, friendship, sacrifice and ultimate success against all odds. A bit long and not totally original, but still done well enough to be a winner that does accomplish its goal in the end. 4 stars out of 5.