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:

An Indian girl born to play soccer for England

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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

When Mrs. Bhamra grabs the remote to shut off the television, her head scarf flips a couple of times around her arm. In a following shot, it isn't around her arm at all.

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Quotes

Jess: Joe! I'm going! They said I could go!
[Joe and Jess hug tightly]
Men in Background: Oi, oi, oi!
Jess: I'm sorry, I forgot.
Joe: That's okay now. I'm not your coach anymore. We can do what we want.
[Joe leans in to kiss Jess. Jess wants to, but pulls back]
Jess: Joe...
Joe: [quickly pulls away] Your dad's not here is he?
Jess: I'm sorry Joe. I can't.
Joe: I thought you wanted...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits feature cast and crew singing "Hot Hot Hot", with many of the lyrics in Punjabi. One group can be seen holding a "cheat sheet" index card, presumably with the lyrics on.

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Alternate Versions

The word football was been replaced by soccer in many US prints.

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Connections

Featured in 20 to 1: Greatest Sports Movies of All Time (2010)

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Soundtracks

Darshan
Written by Jagraj Sidhu
Published by Moviebox Birmingham Limited
Performed by Btwoone (as B21)
Courtesy of Moviebox

User Reviews

Formulaic but enjoyable

Hey, check it out -- other countries can make predictable formula movies too! But seriously, even though no plot "twist" in this movie comes as a surprise, it's smartly written, full of entertaining little touches (especially concerning the main character's Panjabi family and their social circle) and thoroughly enjoyable. I came out grinning. Performances were good all around, too.