Underdogs (2013)

A young man named Amadeo sets off on an unexpected adventure with the players of his beloved Foosball game.

Director:

Juan José Campanella (as Juan J. Campanella)

Writers:

Eduardo Sacheri, Gastón Gorali

Stars:

Gabriel Almirón, Federico Cecere, Ezequiel Cipols

8 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gabriel Almirón	...	Malparitti II (voice)
Federico Cecere	...	Cordobés (voice)
Ezequiel Cipols	...	Malparitti I (voice)
Luciana Falcón	...	Joven Amadeo (voice)
Horacio Fontova	...	Loco (voice)
Fabián Gianola	...	Beto (voice)
Roberto Kim	...	Coreano (voice)
David Masajnik	...	Amadeo (voice)
Marcos Mundstock	...	Ermitaño (voice)
Mariana Otero	...	Joven Grosso (voice)
Alejandro Piar	...	Milton (voice)
Pablo Rago	...	Capi (voice)
Diego Ramos	...	Grosso (voice)
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez	...	Capitán Liso (voice)
Natalia Rosminati	...	Matías (voice)

Storyline

In the small village where Amadeo lives there is no one good enough to challenge his skills at Table Football. But, while Amadeo may be a genius as a table football player in real life he's a loser. He's in love with Lara, his childhood friend, but he's so shy that he can't bring himself to confess his love for her. So he just hangs out in his quaint, timeless village. When Amadeo beats the village bully Flash at Table Football. The scene is set for an epic rivalry. Consumed with anger Flash vows to get even and 10 years later he returns as an International Superstar, a Football Icon and Galatico determined to wreak his revenge. He demolishes the village to build a Football Academy. He destroys the table football table and takes away Amadeo's girl friend the lovely Lara in his chopper. Amadeo is distraught and when one of his tears falls on Skip the captain of the Table Football Players he comes to life and together with other key football players, Rico and Loco, they persuade Amadeo ...

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Plot Keywords:

luna park buenos aires | table football | wig | funfair | toy comes to life | 

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Taglines:

When the toys come to life, the fun begins!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some rude humor and mild action

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the soccer game, the announcer mentions the movie Bend it Like Beckham (2002). The voice of Young Ace is portrayed by Brooklyn Beckham. Brooklyn is the son of soccer star David Beckham, who is the reference of the title of the movie.

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Goofs

Amadeo, Laura and Grosso apparently are the only characters shown to have aged. Other characters like the old men in the bar or the teenager emo stay the same even after a lot of years have passed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: At the dawn of time, a profound discovery was made about our planet. It was boring. But boredom makes you think. And thinking gives you ideas. And what was the first idea? I'll tell you what the first idea was. "Must... kick... ball." Soccer made us compete. And soccer made us work together. More or less. In other words, it made us... human. Soccer isn't just a game. It's who we are.

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Alternate Versions

The UK version was cut by the BBFC at the request of the distributor to achieve a particular category. Cuts were made by substitution. The company chose to remove wordplay on strong language ('Norfolk & Chance Insurance', pronounced as 'No f**cking chance Insurance'') in order to obtain a U classification. A 12A classification without cuts was available but not released.

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Connections

Referenced in Animation Lookback: Top 5 Best & Worst Animated Films of 2014 (2014)

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Soundtracks

I Need You
Performed by Gary Barlow

User Reviews

Agreeable adventure flick co-produced by Argentina/Spain about a table football team that come to life

It is a charming, accomplished piece of animation cinema that will have a universal appeal . In the small village where Amadeo (voiced by Rupert Grint) lives there is no one good enough to challenge his skills at Table Football. But, while Amadeo may be a genius as a table football player in real life he's a loser . He's in love with Lara (voiced by Fern Deacon) , his childhood friend , but he's so timid that he can't bring himself to confess his love for her . So he just hangs out in his quaint , timeless village . When Amadeo beats the village bully Flash (Anthony Head's voice) at Table Football , the scene is set for an epic rivalry . As Amadeo is extremely skilled and unbeatable in the former play , boasting an unbeaten record on the table in the local bar . Consumed with anger , psychotic Flash helped by his manipulative henchman , vows to get even and 10 years later he returns as an International Superstar, a Football Icon and Galatico determined to wreak his revenge . Flash demolishes the village to build a Football Academy . He destroys the table football table and takes away Amadeo's girl friend the lovely Lara in his chopper . His goal is to face down the terrifyingly skilled and intimidating player with the help of the football team he's assembled . As when Amadeo is distraught one of his tears falls on Skip the captain of the Table Football Players he comes to life and together with other key football players, Rico and Loco, they persuade Amadeo to fight back against the nasty Flash and his villainous hoodlum The Agent. Later on , the young man named Amadeo sets off on an unexpected adventure with the players of his beloved Foosball game and the final match will be in a real football stadium .

This entertaining film packs amusement , slapstick , emotions , comic situations , tongue-in-cheek , fun comedy and many other things . This is a fast crazy movie with lot of funny situations , antics , bemusement and with a bunch of very hilarious roles . It turns out to be pleasantly funny that offers no intellectual stimulus whatsoever ; an exercise in pure amusement in which entertainment and fun are guaranteed . This moving picture contains a series of roller coaster adventures when the two rivals finally face each other they must settle their old score ; at the end takes places an epic confrontation in an impressive stadium that results to be the highlight of the movie . The amusing characters are quite silly , grotesque and likable and the film races on at incredible speed . ¨Futbolín¨ or ¨Unbeatables¨ tells the tale of a gifted kid called Amadeo , who often keeps his talents hidden has two loves in his life , football, and Lara, but he has suffered previously at the hands of his nemesis, Flash , then Amadeo gets some unexpected allies when the tiny football players on his table magically come to life .

The motion picture was stunningly directed by Juan Jose Campanela and was deservedly Oscar nominated for the best foreigner film . Academy Award-winning director Juan José Campanella was born on July 19, 1959 in Capital Federal, Argentina. Having won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with the disquieting drama The Secret in Their Eyes, he decided to try something so different ; few would have predicted that Argentine director Juan José Campanella would have turned his head to the children's animation . He had the inevitable pressure that comes with a project that follows an Oscar winning film, and about assembling his British cast, which consists of Rupert Grint, Rob Brydon , Fern Deacon , Anthony Head , adding cameo/voice by the same director as Eusebio . Campanella is a director and writer, working in Television as ¨Law and Order¨, ¨ Winds of water ¨, as cinema , being well known for ¨The Avellaneda's moon ¨, ¨Same love same rain¨, ¨Son of the bride¨ with his fetish actor Ricardo Darin (2004) and of course his best film , the hard-hitting, sombre drama The Secret in Their Eyes(2009). ¨Unbeatables¨ also titled ¨Metegol" , or or "Foosball" or "Underdogs" rating : Above average , well worth seeing . Essential and indispensable watching for kiddies and adults .

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Argentina]

Country:

Argentina Spain UK France USA

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

18 July 2013 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Underdogs

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$32,768,940

Company Credits

Production Co:

100 Bares, 369 Productions, Antena 3 Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1