The Game of Their Lives (2005)

Based on a true story, this film tells the tale of the 1950 U.S. soccer team, who, against all odds, beat England 1 - 0 in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Although no U.S. team has ever won a World Cup title, this story is about the family traditions and passions which shaped the lives of the players who made up this team of underdogs.

Director:

David Anspaugh

Writers:

Geoffrey Douglas (book), Angelo Pizzo

Stars:

Wes Bentley, Gerard Butler, Gavin Rossdale

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gerard Butler	...	Frank Borghi
Wes Bentley	...	Walter Bahr
Jay Rodan	...	Frank 'Pee Wee' Wallace
Gavin Rossdale	...	Stanley Mortensen
Costas Mandylor	...	Charlie 'Gloves' Columbo
Louis Mandylor	...	Gino Pariani
Zachery Ty Bryan	...	Harry Keough (as Zachery Bryan)
Jimmy Jean-Louis	...	Joe Gaetjens
Richard Jenik	...	Joe Maca
Nelson Vargas	...	John 'Clarkie' Souza
Craig Hawksley	...	Walter Giesler
Bill Smitrovich	...	Admiral Higgins
Patrick Stewart	...	Older Dent McSkimming
Terry Kinney	...	Dent McSkimming
John Rhys-Davies	...	Bill Jeffrey (as John Rhys Davies)

Storyline

Based on a true story, this film tells the tale of the 1950 U.S. soccer team, who, against all odds, beat England 1 - 0 in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Although no U.S. team has ever won a World Cup title, this story is about the family traditions and passions which shaped the lives of the players who made up this team of underdogs.

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Plot Keywords:

world cup | brazil | 1950s | soccer | soccer movie | 

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Taglines:

The match against England in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 19, 1950 was "the game of their lives".

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Genres:

Drama | History | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

IFC Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

22 April 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Miracle Match

Filming Locations:

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$175,336, 24 April 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$375,474, 12 June 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Independent Film Channel (IFC), Bristol Bay Productions, Peter Newman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was filmed during a summer in and around St. Louis' Italian neighborhood known as "The Hill". Many of the family-owned businesses there participated, and were transformed into part of the set with temporary façades and storefronts to give a 1950s-era feel.

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Goofs

Although Bill Smitrovich's character is clearly an Air Force general, he is identified in the credits as "Admiral Higgins".

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Connections

Referenced in The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Ben Kingsley/Bojana Novakovic (2014)

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Soundtracks

Tambo
Written and Performed by James O'Connell
Courtesy of Architune, LLC

User Reviews

Pretty good movie

This was a good movie, regardless of whether it was about soccer or not. The movie had good actors, and some surprise actors (Gavin Rossdale, John Harkes, etc.) and was a good "person" movie. It did do a good job of telling about the 1950 upset victory for the Americans, and it was good that it stopped right there and didn't include the following matches in that World Cup for the Amerians of losing to Spain 1-3 and Chile 2-6. So it ended on a good note. I actually had a comment about one of the user comments....the one gloating about his daughter's soccer team and how good they are because they are Arizona state champions. I have lived in Ohio most of my life and lately I have lived in Arizona....I am sorry to break it to him, but Arizona soccer is terrible. Teams in Arizona would get crushed by teams in Ohio. A state champion of Arizona is a mediocre Ohio team. Or MIssouri, or Michigan, or California, or Florida.