Review of:Bend It Like Beckham (2003)
Director:Gurinder Chadha
Rating:PG-13 for language and sexual content
Starring:Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi
Tradition can be one of the greatest attributes passed down from generation to generation of customs or beliefs that a group of people believes in. But what happens when the tradition is so strict that it gets in the way of what makes you happy? This is what Jess must face as she finds that her wants come up against her traditional Indian families ideas of what she should be doing.
Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is an excellent soccer player. Better than many of the boys that she comes up against. Her big dream is to be able to play at the same level as her idol David Beckham. The only problem is that her family has other ideas as to what her role in society should be. When another player, Juliette "Jules" Paxton (Kiera Knightly), off of a competitive team sees Jess play she invites the young woman out to try out for her team, and that is when the dilemma begins. From sneaking off to play her favorite sport to trying to cook the traditional chapatti Jess finds herself pulled into two different directions. Will she be strong enough to stand up to her family or will she follow the will of tradition down a road she really doesn’t want to follow?
Bend It Like Beckham is not your traditional American movie. Imported from the United Kingdom this award winning film follows a belief system that is steeped in a rich tradition that has been observed to this very day. Set film set in Southall and West London uses an English dialect for all the actors, and at times the understanding of the words is hard on the ears. The moral of the story however comes straight through as the modern world beacons to young Jess for something better than what she is supposed to fall into. The film using almost entirely an Indian cast is reminiscent of Love and Basketball, but without as strong a love story surrounding it. The main character is comparable to the female lead in Love and Basketball in her determination to play the sport that she loves.
Director Gurinder Chadha (What’s Cooking) does an excellent job of showing the conflict between tradition and the modern times. In one scene the family gathers together in traditional dress for a wedding with a cell phone going off with everyone looking to see if it is theirs. It is this blending that makes this film a must see of any persuasion, and it only serves to open up the communication lines between people of any race. The actors themselves do superb jobs of bringing the comedy of the situations into light, and in her third film the director has grabbed hold of a subject matter and made it relevant to this country.
