Bend it Like Beckham
2002 · 112 min.
Review
Machine-translated from Danish.
Bend It Like Beckham is an entertaining comedy drama about culture clashes, gender roles and teenage rebellion in multi-ethnic London.
18-year-old Jess Bhamra dreams of becoming a professional footballer like her idol David Beckham, but her Indian parents have quite different plans: a good education and marriage to one of their own. The thought of their teenage daughter running around kicking a ball with bare legs is appalling, to say the least.
By chance Jess meets the English girl Jules, who like herself is mad about football. Jules gets Jess onto the local team, but Jess's parents must not find out. That is of course untenable in the long run. At the same time, the friendship between Jess and Jules hits a rough patch because they both fall in love with the coach Joe, who takes a more than ordinary interest in Jess's dilemma.
On the same day as the big wedding celebration is to take place, an American talent scout comes to watch the match Jess's team is playing. Both Jess and Jules have a good chance of being discovered, but Jess is unable to take part. Fortune, in the shape of an understanding father, smiles on her at the last moment, however.
Bend It Like Beckham is related to "East Is East", but resorts to easy solutions to a greater degree.