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.
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Title: Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006)
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1 nomination.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Ahmet Ertegun | ... | Self | |
 |
Nesuhi Ertegün | ... | Self (archive footage) |
| Matt Dillon | ... | Narrator (voice) | |
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Clive Toye | ... | Self |
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Shep Messing | ... | Self |
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Giorgio Chinaglia | ... | Self |
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Peppe Pinton | ... | Self |
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Werner Roth | ... | Self |
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Jay Emmett | ... | Self |
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Phil Woosnam | ... | Self |
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Raphael de la Sierra | ... | Self |
| Carlos Alberto | ... | Self | |
| Franz Beckenbauer | ... | Self | |
| Pelé | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Marv Albert | ... | Self | |
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Storyline
A look back at one of the more curious fads in American professional sports, the sudden rise and precipitous fall of the North American Soccer League, spanning its existence 1968-1984, as seen through the experience of its most famous club, the New York Cosmos. The NASL made very little impact in the US, where soccer had virtually no following, until in 1975 the New York Cosmos succeeded in signing the most famous player in the world, Pele. Attendence for Cosmos games exploded, outdrawing even the New York Giants and New York Jets of the NFL, to where exhibition games in Seattle were drawing huge crowds, and when Pele announced his retirement in 1977 his final game drew the biggest crowd to ever see a soccer game in the US. His retirement from the game began a slow but steady decline for the NASL as money issues for the league and the spending practices of the Cosmos became a running controversy. Written by Michael Daly
Plot Keywords:
new york cosmos | professional sports | soccer team | football team | sports team |Taglines:
Goals. Greed. Girls. And that's just the first half... See more »Parents Guide:
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Written by Steve Cobby and David McSherry
Performed by Fila Brazillia
Courtesy of Twentythree Records Ltd
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Pelé declined to participate in the documentary when the producers balked at his $100,000 fee. See more »Crazy Credits
At the end of the credits, a pair of "super fans" re-enact the Cosmos cheer. See more »Soundtracks
President Chimp ToeWritten by Steve Cobby and David McSherry
Performed by Fila Brazillia
Courtesy of Twentythree Records Ltd
See more »
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 July 2006 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$1,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$9,805, 9 July 2006Gross USA:
$144,601Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$213,762Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1Contribute to This Page
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One of the bubbliest, most rollicking, and most surprising documentaries you'll ever see.
I am a soccer fan, but you won't have to be one to enjoy this movie. If you like anything about the 1970s--the music, the disco scene, the cheesy TV graphics--you'll love this movie.
It's premised on the nearly-insane vision of multimillionaire media mogul Steve Ross to make soccer a big time sport in the USA. It led to absurd spending, classic sports excess, and surprise, surprise--sold out stadiums! The whole thing was a roller-coaster destined to crash from the very beginning, but my it's fun to watch happen.
The cinematography is quick, flashy, and usually tongue-in-cheek. The interviewees inform, hedge, dodge, bicker, and blame. You end up with a partially contradictory but often balanced view of what happened with this wildest of teams. The personalities of this movie are its most endearing quality.
It all makes for an entertaining story for non-enthusiasts, but an epic story for anyone with any liking for this game. There are a few factual discrepancies (the largest of which was that the NASL had accomplished a few things in cities other than NY before Pele ever got there), but they're more than compensated for by the insight the film gives to its central topic.