Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006)

Directors:

Paul Crowder (co-director)
John Dower (co-director)

Writers:

John Dower (story)
Mark Monroe (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 July 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Sport

Tagline:

The untold story of the team that had America at its feet.

Plot:

The rise and fall of the N.Y. Cosmos. The soccer team that brought Pele to America; against the backdrop of N.Y. City in the 70's.

Plot Keywords:

New York Cosmos | Soccer Football | Independent Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ahmet Ertegun	...	Himself
Nesuhi Ertegün	...	Himself (archive footage)
Matt Dillon	...	Narrator (voice)
Clive Toye	...	Himself
Shep Messing	...	Himself
Giorgio Chinaglia	...	Himself
Peppe Pinton	...	Himself
Werner Roth	...	Himself
Jay Emmett	...	Himself
Phil Woosnam	...	Himself
Raphael de la Sierra	...	Himself
Carlos Alberto	...	Himself
Franz Beckenbauer	...	Himself
Pelé	...	Himself (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marv Albert	...	Himself
Johan Cruyff	...	Himself
Rose Ganguzza	...	Herself
Mia Hamm	...	Herself
Steve Hunt	...	Himself
Mario Mariani	...	Himself
Rodney Marsh	...	Himself
Steve Ross	...	Himself
Bobby Smith	...	Himself
Dennis Tueart	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Once in a Lifetime (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some nudity.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:12A | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Company:

Passion Pictures

Trivia:

Pelé declined to participate in the documentary when the producers balked at his $100,000 fee.

Those Lucky New York Fans

What a crazy laugh the New York Cosmos must have been back in the 70s! This is the story of one man and his dream to turn what was not much more than a pub team playing in a delapidated stadium into one of the best. Although the wheels came completely off in the early 80s it must have been huge fun whilst the show was on the road. As a football fan what would I have given to have Pele and Beckenbauer in my team (maybe even the crazy Chinaglia too), football is all about passion and dreams and the management team at the Cosmos delivered the fantasy in spades.

The film runs at a slick pace and there are lots of funny moments, the Mick Jagger bit made me laugh out loud. If you love football go and see it, you won't be disappointed. If you don't you'll still enjoy it as this is as much about all the clashing egos as much as what the team did on the pitch.