Shaolin Soccer (2001)

A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.

Director:

Stephen Chow

Writers:

Stephen Chow, Kan-Cheung Tsang (as Tsang Kan Cheong)

Stars:

Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-Fei Wong

12 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Chow	...	Mighty Steel Leg Sing
Man-Tat Ng	...	Golden Leg Fung (as Ng Mang Tat) (as Mang Tat Ng)
Wei Zhao	...	Mui (as Vicki Zhao)
Yin Tse	...	Team Evil Coach Hung (as Patrick Tse Yin)
Hui Li	...	Banana Peel Girl
Cecilia Cheung	...	Team Moustache Player 1
Karen Mok	...	Team Moustache Player 2
Vincent Kok	...	Team Puma Leader
Kai-Man Tin	...	Iron Shirt Tin (Third Brother)
Yat-Fei Wong	...	Iron Head (First Brother) (as Wong Kai Yue)
Tze-Chung Lam	...	Light Weight (Small Brother) (as Lam Tze Chung)
Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan	...	Lightning Hands (Fourth Brother) (as Chan Kwon Kwan)
Meilin Mo	...	Hooking Leg (Second Brother) (as Mei-Lin Mo)
Ming Ming Zhang	...	Little Hung
Pu Ye Dong	...	Little Fung

Storyline

After a fateful mistake costing his career, an ex-soccer player bum meets a shaolin kung fu student trying to spread the word of kung fu. The ex-soccer player helps reconcile with his five brothers, and teaches them soccer, adding shaolin kung fu as a twist.

---

Plot Keywords:

chinaman | chinawoman | almond eyes | thin attractive woman | football | 

---

Taglines:

Kick some grass!

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sport

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for martial arts action and some thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, Miramax was supposed to release this film with the title renamed "Kung Fu Soccer," with a dubbed dialogue (with the participation by Stephen Chow himself), but it was scrapped due to the resistance of Chow.

---

Goofs

In the English dub the team "mo gui dui" is translated into "Team Evil", even though that has nothing to do with the original name, a better translation is "Devils" or "Demons".

---

Quotes

Sing: [singing] Using Tai Chi Kung Fu to make steamed buns - what a brilliant notion. Fill the pot from heaven with sweet buns; fantastic when done. You're a Kung Fu master, I can see, and your homemade treats look so tasty.

---

Crazy Credits

Outtakes are shown before the credits.

---

Alternate Versions

The U.S. version removes several scenes, including:

• the early concert performance
• the scene where Mui gets her new look

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Martial Arts Comedy Movies (2015)

---

Soundtracks

Kung-fu Fighting
Written by Carl Douglas
Performed by Bus Stop, featuring Carl Douglas

User Reviews

Amazing!!

Or: the funniest movie I've seen this decade! I was expecting a moderate little asian comedy worthy about an IMDB 7 TOPS, but at the end, I was forced to give this 9 points! See, no other comedy has actually brought me to tears laughing in recent history! Either mr. Chow is a genius or he's one lucky sonova. See, "Shaolin soccer" just happens to press all the right buttons, and in right places! In the little "relief" spots it's as dramatic as it's supposed to be, and the rest, it's big, big, BIG laughs all the way. HIGHLY recommended! P.S. If you don't like this movie, your heart must be made of stone and you have absolutely NO sense of humour. My condolences.

Details

Official Sites:

metrofilms.com [France] miramax.com [United States]

Country:

Hong Kong China

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin

Release Date:

5 July 2001 (China)

Also Known As:

Shaolin Soccer

Filming Locations:

Zhuhai city, China

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$39,167, 4 April 2004

Gross USA:

$489,600

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$42,776,760

Company Credits

Production Co:

Star Overseas, Universe Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 102 min (DVD) 85 min (original U.S. theatrical release)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS (US version) DTS (US version)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1