...a very earnest and uplifting exploration of the daughter of Indian immigrants who just wants to play some football.

| Mar 30, 2021

For any film to be a great sports film it must have staying power, beyond ample training montages and a great comeback game, and Bend It Like Beckham has all of that in spades and more.

| Nov 10, 2020

An unashamedly feel-good soccer comedy that is sharper than Cristiano Ronaldo's latest haircut, has better vision than your average linesman and is more uplifting than winning on penalties in extra time.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 17, 2020

Beckham pointedly punctures English, Indian, and immigrant foibles despite a few jokes that are broad enough to hit the side of a barn.

| Feb 26, 2020

Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha has infused Bend It Like Beckham with a feel-good, uplifting feel that generally proves difficult to resist...

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Dec 21, 2019

The film caricaturises every character, save the lead players and their sympathisers, in the most obvious manner.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 3, 2019

Superb tale of a girl's struggle for her dreams.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 14, 2010

Is satisfying and all the while entertaining to watch from start to finish...

| Apr 29, 2009

A comedy with heart and substance.

| Aug 1, 2008

The acting is as nimble as the footwork.

| Aug 1, 2008

Chadha does a decent job directing, while Parminder Nagra does a good job acting. The movie's main problem is that it's a little more fussy than it needs to be.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Jun 9, 2008

Fine character work by Juliet Stevenson, Archie Panjabi, and Bollywood regular Anupam Kher makes this well worth seeing.

| Mar 26, 2007

More rooted in small-screen sitcom than anything deeper.

| Mar 26, 2007

Delightfully upbeat, it will send you back out onto the street grinning from ear to ear.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 30, 2006

Chances are that just about anyone who's ever kicked a ball around will appreciate the fancy footwork and good-spirited comedy in director Gurinder Chadha's breakthrough feature.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 29, 2006

Nagra and Knightley have winning personalities, but credit should also go to writer/director Chadha for getting the balance right between humour and pathos, and sporting and romantic action.

| Jan 26, 2006

Formulaico do incio ao fim, no convence nem mesmo em suas seqncias envolvendo futebol %u2013 apesar da boa dinmica entre Nagra e Knightley.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 1, 2005

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 5, 2005

It reminds you why these formulas are still around, because every now and then, they really do work.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 5, 2005

Suffice it to say this is a delightful, uplifting treat, whether you like soccer or not (and I don't).

| Original Score: 9/10 | Oct 7, 2004