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Features: DVD, Widescreen, French, Spanish, Dubbed, English, Subtitled, Commentary
Sometimes, to follow your dreams...you've go to bend the rules! Audiences and critics alike are cheering wildly for this "exhilarating...terrific comedy" (Entertainment Weekly) about a young girl who is torn between adhering to family traditions and attaining super-stardom on the soccer field. Hailed as the year's must-see crowd pleaser that "makes you feel good and laugh out loud" (Chicago Sun-Times), Bend It Like Beckham scores! (Time Magazine)
"A winner! Hugely enjoyable!" Leah Rozen, People
"Meaningful, good-natured and inspiring, this is precisely the sort of movie that we need during difficult times." Brian Webster, Apollo Movie Guide
"A wonderful film! Two thumbs up!" Ebert & Roeper
"Like Nagra and Knightley, the movie is a sweetheart." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...Chadha delivers a solidly entertaining film..." Jeffrey Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
Editor's Note
Like most everyone else in England, Jess Bahmra (Parminder Nagra) idolizes professional British football player David Beckham. But Jess is different from most fans; she's a talented player in her own right. Unfortunately, her traditional Indian parents (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) have other plans for their youngest daughter. They expect Jess to follow in the footsteps of her sister, Pinky (Archie Panjabi), who is preparing to marry in a traditional Indian wedding. When Jess meets Jules (Keira Knightley), who plays for a local female football team, she pursues her own dream and begins to play, keeping her participation a secret from her parents and often leading to disastrous results. To complicate matters even more, both Jess and Jules are enamored with their coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Ultimately, Jess has to decide whether to live life on her terms or act in accordance with her parents' wishes. This charming coming-of-age tale is also an intriguing look at Indian culture in England. Juliet Stevenson is superb as Jules' tarty, ultra-feminine mother. BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM is directed, written, and produced by Gurinder Chadha (BHAJI ON THE BEACH, WHAT'S COOKING?), and marks the first English feature film appearance from Bollywood icon Anupam Kher.
| Features | Music Video And Outtakes | | Recipe Gallery | | The Making Of Bend It Like Beckham - Featurette | | Widescreen Presentation | | International Theatrical Trailers | | Music Promo Spot | | 10 Deleted/Extended Scenes, "Who Wants To Cook Aloo Gobi" Featurette, Hosted By The Director And "The Aunties" | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish Dolby Surround | | Director And Co-Writer Commentary |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 6/6/2006 |
| Running Time: 112 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 2008426 | | UPC: 00024543084266 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, Spanish Dubbed, French/Quebecois Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
British Academy Awards (2003) | | | Deepak Nayar, Gurinder Chadha, Nominee, Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film |
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| | Professional Reviews | Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...The large cast of characters is beautifully delineated....The movie's humor and rambunctiousness save the day..." 03/01/2003 p.48-9USA Today
"Culture and sports have never clashed as winningly as in BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM....A rare amalgam of funny, sweet, action-packed and inspiring..." 03/12/2003 p.4D Rolling Stone
"...Writer-director Gurinder Chadha juggles all the angles with flair and fairness. Like Nagra and Knightley, the movie is a sweetheart... 04/03/2003 p.77 Entertainment Weekly
"BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM is the most exhilarating movie so far this year.....Made with a craftsmanship and pizzazz that restores your appreciation for honest commercial moviemaking..." 03/21/2003 p.85 Premiere
"...A terrifically charming and energetic film about pursuing your dream..." 05/01/2003 p.21 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Purely enjoyable...What makes is special is the bubbling energy of the cast and the warm joy with which Gurinder Chadha tells the story..." 04/06/2003 p.5 Film Comment
"...[The film] plays like a combo of LOVE AND BASKETBALL and a much better MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING..." 03/01/2003 p.66-8 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
Bend It Like Beckham delivers a positive message that doesn't tax viewers in the delivery. It's frothy and undemanding, and proud of it. For director Chadha, this is a decided improvement over her previous feature, 2000's What's Cooking? It unashamedly wears the crowd-pleaser tag, and it's likely that some critics will gripe that it's too eager to enrapture the masses. Bend It Like Beckham is enjoyable enough that the sprinkles of artificial sweetness in the mix don't do lasting or irreparable damage. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
I saw more important films at Sundance 2003, but none more purely enjoyable than "Bend It Like Beckham," which is just about perfect as a teenage coming-of-age comedy. It stars a young actress of luminous appeal, it involves sports, romance and of course her older sister's wedding, and it has two misinformed soccer moms--one who doesn't know a thing about the game and another who doesn't even know her daughter plays it. - Roger Ebert
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