Goal! The Dream Begins
Starring: Kuno Becker, Stephen Dillane, Alessandro Nivola, Anna Friel
Directed by: Danny Cannon
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Sport
Box Office: $
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Santiago (Kuno Becker) dreams of playing soccer for a real club. While this is a longshot, a series of events provides him the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make all his dreams come true.

Review:

Tim: I was excited about this movie, because for some reason, a soccer trilogy seemed very exciting to me. I liked the concept behind it, and I believed this would make for a very interesting story. It does. Although the story of a young man using athletics to rise out of a poor and ordinary life is not new, it is told boldly here, and feels fresh. Of course, his newfound fame will bring unforeseen problems, but watching our protagonist navigate those challenges is half the fun.

I really liked the cast. Kuno Becker is excellent as our struggling soccer hero. He makes for a very sympathetic leading man, and he was very well cast. I loved seeing Stephen Dillane in this movie. I am quietly becoming a bigger and bigger fan of him. His work, as always, is superb. The rest of the cast is good, too.

One of the film's most remarkable features is that it tells the same old sports movie story, but it never once feels stale or redundant. The script is largely credited here, for giving some characters we can really care about. As the story progressed, I found myself unexpectedly drawn into the tale. Secondly, Danny Cannon directs a very good movie. Third, the cast all put their hearts into it, and that shows up on the screen.

I surprisingly liked this movie to a far greater extent than I imagined I would. I got caught up in the story and felt emotional about it toward the end. Plus, I just loved seeing soccer on the silver screen. It has been portrayed too infrequently for me. If you like sports movies, you should love this. If you need to see a heartful, emotional, inspiring film, then I'd highly recommend this one. This is a film that snuck under the radar, but packs a powerful punch. I can't wait for the sequel.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Bend it Like Beckham, Goal II: Living the Dream