Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

The daughter of orthodox Sikh rebels against her parents' traditionalism and joins a football team.

Director:

Gurinder Chadha

Writers:

Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra

Stars:

Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 17 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Parminder Nagra	...	Jess
Keira Knightley	...	Jules
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Joe
Anupam Kher	...	Mr. Bhamra
Archie Panjabi	...	Pinky Bhamra
Shaznay Lewis	...	Mel
Frank Harper	...	Alan Paxton
Juliet Stevenson	...	Paula Paxton
Shaheen Khan	...	Mrs. Bhamra
Ameet Chana	...	Tony
Pooja Shah	...	Meena (as Poojah Shah)
Paven Virk	...	Bubbly
Preeya Kalidas	...	Monica
Trey Farley	...	Taz
Saraj Chaudhry	...	Sonny (as Saraj Chaudry)

Storyline

A comedy about bending the rules to reach your goal, Bend It Like Beckham explores the world of women's football, from kick-abouts in the park to freekicks in the Final. Set in Hounslow, West London and Hamburg, the film follows two 18 year olds with their hearts set on a future in professional soccer. Heart-stopping talent doesn't seem to be enough when your parents want you to hang up your football boots, find a nice boyfriend and learn to cook the perfect chapatti.

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Plot Keywords:

tradition | hinduism | marriage engagement | lingerie | team | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes, to follow your dreams... you've got to bend the rules!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Netherlands] Official site [United States]

Country:

UK Germany USA

Language:

English Punjabi Hindi German

Release Date:

1 August 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Joue-la comme Beckham

Filming Locations:

Bara Hall Park, Hayes, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,500,159 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,001,795 (United Kingdom), 14 April 2002, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$161,528, 16 March 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$32,543,449, 23 October 2003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$76,583,333

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kintop Pictures, Film Council, Filmförderung Hamburg

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though their characters are roughly the same age, in reality, there is a ten-year age gap between Parminder Nagra (born 1975) and Keira Knightley (born 1985).

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Goofs

In the match where Jess and Jules aren't getting along, Jule's hair is held back by a metal headband, except in one close-up where it is held back by a thick, black headband. It then goes back to the metal headband. Then in the final game Jules is wearing the black headband again.

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Quotes

Joe: Can't keep losing all my best players to the Yanks now can I?

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to ... Bhamra Family ...

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Alternate Versions

Two versions of the Region 2 DVD exist. In the retail sale version the profanity during the closing credit outakes is bleeped out - in the video store rental version, available at the same time, it's left unbleeped.

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Connections

Referenced in House: Man of the House (2012)

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Soundtracks

Independence Day
Written by Melanie C and Eliot Kennedy
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd./Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Performed by Melanie C (as Melanie C)
Licensed courtesy of Virgin Records Ltd.

User Reviews

A good Hollywood/bolywood film with a good mixture of cast.

I love playing football and I thought this movie was great because it contained a lot of football in it. This was a good Hollywood/bollywood film and I am glad it won 17 awards. Parminder Nagra and Kiera Knightley were good and so was Archie Punjabi. Jonathon Rheyes Meyers was great at playing the coach. Jazz (Parminder Nagra) loves playing football but her parents want her to learn how to cook an want her to get married. When Jazz starts playing for a football team secretly she meets Juliet (Kiera Knightlety) and Joe (Jonathon Rhyes Meyers) who is her coach. When her parents find out trouble strikes but her dad lets her play the big match on her sisters Pinky (Archie Punjabi's) wedding. At the end her parents realise how much she loves football and let her go abroad to play.