The Beautiful Game (2024) User Reviews

Such a good cause deserved better writing

[fallyhag · 6/10 · 31 March 2024]

I love Bill. A great actor. A legend. I love football. I admire the cause. Most of us are one cheque away from being in this tournament. So I was desperate to like this.

But the story was a little rushed and a little shallow. It knew the story it wanted to tell and just spewed it out. Very dumb and simplistic. Yes, it ticks the good feeling box. But it could have done so much more.

The herioin addict made a great first impression. Good acting. Believable character.

The cause that I have NEVER heard of. Why? My ignorance or a system failure. Why is FIFA not shoving this down my neck every Saturday!? But this film got the message to me. So I am wiser. And I get to thank this film for that.

So the film was a success. And I am grateful. Thank you 👍

Both heavy and heartwarming

[alexandraahlen · 7/10 · 31 March 2024]

This movie makes you think of so many things all at once. With great acting, a story based on real events and a powerful message, this movie is something for all ages to watch. It's a movie about serious topics such as homelessness, addiction, teamwork, finding yourself and taking pride from what you achieve in stead of what you might have failed at in life. But most of all it's a message about how connecting with people makes you stronger, and how being alone isn't really being strong. It's also about looking beyond social status and seeing people for who they are, the ability to come together despite background if there's kindness and being able to recognize yourself in people you might not know could be someone you really needed. I highly recommend this movie, and as I said, it's for all ages!

Heartwarming sports movie

[masonsaul · 7/10 · 31 March 2024]

The Beautiful Game is a perfect Netflix movie because of its pure formula in every way. It's not a bad thing though as it's a heartwarming film that shines a light on a wonderful creation and the people involved whilst remaining easy going without really undermining any of the more dramatic moments.

Bill Nighy comes dangerously close to phoning it without actually going there thankfully. His soft presence works with any of the more serious sequences and it's nice to see the film avoid the usual tropes of having the manager coaching them against his will, he just genuinely wants to be there.

Michael Ward has the most well developed character with understandable flaws and even if he spends most of the film with an abrasive nature, he makes it feel human. He works even better when paired with the rest of the England team, who really do feel like a supportive and caring team.

Thea Sharrock's direction favours technical competency (so many medium shots) over any grand stylistic flourishes but still imbues the film with a real warmth visually. Equally vital to ensuring the film always remains a good time is the soundtrack, which chooses obvious songs for the greatest effects.

The real football

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 2 April 2024]

No pun intended - some call it soccer (actually mostly Americans do that. But the rest of the world calls it football - and if you consider how it is played, you have to admit it makes sense calling it that - more so than the other one (American Football that is).

But this is not about the differences - this is about the game itself. And while it is constrained and really plays in a ... well box, it is mostly about the characters, about the people involved. So while the title is talking about the game itself, the movie dives into the people playing it (no pun intended when I say diving - if you know football, you know what I mean).

This is a feelgood movie and I don't think it has many surprises for most who watch this. Just enjoy the ride and the pitch is ... yours.

Had very little inspiring in it but watchable

[jaldred-66120 · 6/10 · 30 March 2024]

I only watched this because I had also watched the South Korean Dream which is about a Korean team going to the homeless world cup. You would think it would be easy to write an inspiring story about this but both are a bit flat. Wheras Dream concentrated on building the team The Beautiful Game goes almost straight to the tournament so there is more football and not so much character development. It felt rather like a lot had ended up on the cutting room floor since it wasn't clear why the characters did what they did. Personally I would save this for a rainy day when you have got through everything you wanted to see (but better than Damsel but that is a whole other story). If you are wondering whether to watch the English or Korean version it probably depends whether you prefer Bill Nighy or IU but they have both been in better things.

a nice feel good movie that could've been great

[demianguidi · 6/10 · 31 March 2024]

Overall this is a good movie that manages to deliver on the intended feel good wholesome vibe but i cant deny that it would have benefited greatly from some changes to the timing of some dialougs that makes them feel too forced at times, like Aldar's coment about him liking the sky in italy because there are no bombs in it which is a great piece of dialoug but it comes immidiatly after the reveal of his backstory in a moment that i dont think makes much sense for him to say that but had he said it in a more natural place it would have been great, like when they find vinny sleeping in a bench..

As good as it possibly can be

[jssk-03482 · 7/10 · 10 April 2024]

I feel good movie about giving a second chance. It shows development in character and what teamwork is about.

The acting is not bad, but you don't really get any scenes where they can show there depth in acting. But overall they did a great job and Bill Nighy Really helps the move.

There is not much to say about the plot, because it's basedthat based on a true story. But what I miss was more background story of each character.

I choose to give the movie at 7, and I can't see where I could be better to get a higher score. Not ever move I can get a 10 just because there are no room for improvement, and this is one of them. Because I won't say this is one of my favorite movies, but I will easily recommend it to people.

Refreshing story

[KaraBean86 · 8/10 · 29 March 2024]

Going in this movie I did not know about the Homeless World Cup at all. Never heard from it so I was surprised when I Googled it and found out it was a real thing. It was on my watchlist because I'm a huge fan of Bill Nighy to be honest.

The chemistry of that man holds the film together with Michael Ward. Loved every minute of it. Refreshing story, a feel good story that must be inspiring many soccer players out there. Reminded me a bit of Ted Lasso. And left me teary and I'm not even a soccer fan.

Great story, touching and emotional, I laughed and cried and was on the tip of my seat during the games. Very wholesome perfectly decent film.

Pretty standard

[judealexharnett · 6/10 · 1 April 2024]

I'd never heard of this movie prior to watching it and honestly it was pretty standard and ordinary. Like nothing from the movie stood out. The acting was pretty decent, the script was alright, the story was fine. There were some pretty good things about this movie though.

Bill nighy's character was a great character. And the whole thing about scouting vinny and it weighing on his conscience was brilliant. And at times this movie was funny to be fair to it. Definitely had some bad things too. The 2 hour runtime was not needed and really started to drag about halfway through. Also vinny was a detestable main character. He showed absolutely 0 remorse or guilt for anything which isn't necessarily bad but his whole character arc was him being an ass being nice for a little bit and then being an ass again. Nice that it brought awareness to homeless football though. 6.8/10.

Not so uplifting

[pcjm · 4/10 · 1 April 2024]

Terrific performances from the dependable Bill Nighy and Micheal Ward. The latters performance being especially commendable in making you thoroughly dislike his character 'Vinny' throughout the entirety of the movie. And that's the problem here - many people become homeless through no fault of their own and remain thoroughly decent humans still able to relate and empathise with other people in challenging circumstances.

The character of 'Vinny' just seems to have a massive chip on his shoulder for the whole movie and is basically an unlikeable dick. The fact that the payoff is he 'wins' at football in the end doesn't cut it. His redemption is too late and too misplaced to redeem a movie that should have been so much better. Good acting, great location, duff movie.

Uplifting...

[DukeEman · 8/10 · 29 March 2024]

An uplifting sporting film showing how the game of football can change lives, even for the homeless, and in this case, for those who have lost their way. What makes it even more engaging is that the Homeless World Cup is an actual event, with stories taken from this international gathering and amalgamated to create this heartfelt journey set in the heavenly city of Rome.

The center of attention is a former semi-professional football player, Vinny Walker (convincing performance by Micheal Ward), who is released by the club even before his career took off. He joins a group of mismatched homeless men with assorted problems of their own, and writer, Frank Cottrell Boyce, does a stellar job in bringing their stories together, creating a magic bond, with the help of director, Thea Sharrock. The living legend, Bill Nighy, gives it an extra boost, even when the story sometimes gets a little schmaltzy, this little gem still shows the passion and rewards of humility within the most beautiful game.

Overall good

[byssnhfdw · 7/10 · 17 April 2024]

At the start it's interesting great opening scenes which really gets you into it but tells u soon enough that then there will be something else you want to wait for so the always something ahead and not just the same thing what ur looking forward to knowing .

Also bring in a real life footballing tournament which also supports this in the film so if ur into football this is also a good watch just for the football .

Middle at the tournament interesting learn even mor about the players past even more then u do in start .

At the end it gives u a good view on struggle of homelessness and why this tournament is so good . It goes into many storylines in this film.

Disappointing

[armydaze · 4/10 · 1 April 2024]

This could have been a pretty good movie. It could have been uplifting. It could have been inspiring. It could have been lots of things. I'm not exactly sure where the real blame lies, as this was evidently inspired by actual events (and possibly people ?). But in the end, the main character is so unlikeable....the story just doesn't work. Vinny is a selfish ass who lacks even a shred of humility, and is completely undeserving of all of the blessings, and second (third, fourth, fifth, etc) chances that he is given throughout this story. Bad husband. Bad father. Horrible friend. Monstrous ego. Huge chip on his shoulder. His character, although perhaps not completely "irredeemable" persay......is never actually redeemed during the course of the film, leaving the viewer actually routing AGAINST him by the end and almost in shocked that the writers grant him a pseudo "win". He basically disappoints everyone he meets (including himself) and never really makes amends.

sincere underdog movie

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 23 April 2024]

Former pro scout Mal Bradley (Bill Nighy) is coaching England's soccer team for the upcoming Homeless World Cup in Rome. He spots Vinny Walker (Micheal Ward) clowning the little kids at the local park. He invites Vinny to play. Vinny insists that he's not homeless. He's got a car and a job in 'logistics'.

This is a sincere underdog feel-good sports movie based on the real thing. Everybody has a different issue. Everybody gets some sort of resolution or a chance to contribute. It's all sincerely written although two hours is rather long. There is too much to cover. It is jamming in too many people. By the last two games, I am itching to fast forward. Like the tournament itself, the games are not that important. It is the story behind the games.

A Sucker for Soccer (just because it goes well, but its football)

[BoBo_Goal32 · 6/10 · 4 April 2024]

Though it's a Netflix feature and something that looks like a mediocre and small-time movie, I was curious. I've noticed that Bill Nighy as one of the leads and a story about the homeless world cup and I was already all in.

I almost thought that maybe they will tell the story of Bebe - the homeless that made it to Fergie's united, but it was like they took his story and many other stories of such as like him and stuffed them into one movie. This is an accurate description of this piece. The plot is predictable, the end and twists and turns also and the best thing about it - football and a lot of heart.

It's the same old story of an outsider that uses his talent to get in, but doesn't let himself to actually get in. It's a beautiful story about this beautiful sport and its almost gets you excited, but not actually. Its funny, to stupid sometimes and it has a lot of heart, but it doesn't align with greater football movies.

Bill Nighy is good, as always. Valeria Golino gets a small cut in this movie and Michael Word (which I've discovered at the first time in "Empire of Light") with an un-even acting display, gets his chance to lead a small-time movie and doesn't gives us a reason to remember him (last time, when he collaborated with Olivia Colman he was much better).

Beautifully Mid

[danielhkraft · 6/10 · 1 May 2024]

The beautiful game is a feel good story that features a former soccer phenomenon who was never able to truly make it as a young teenager. Vinny finds himself "homeless" and in a real rut in life.

The problem with this movie is it doesn't really develop the arch of Vinny and we never really see his light side re-appear. Yes he eventually plays with, and wins, with South Africa at the homeless World Cup, but we never see him open up and address him teammates and scout in a genuine way.

He betrays his friends, time and time again. He even neglects his drug recovering roommate and never gets a real chance to make up for that. They make this a feel good story about a man who keeps making mistakes with reactions on FaceTime to his daughter at home, to his teammates, and ultimately to himself.

In the end it's nice to see him have a little bit of a revival and I do like Michael Ward as an actor. The movie script is based on real live events and is not horrible but not good either.

The Homeless World Cup Strikes Goals

[t-d-t-m82 · 7/10 · 21 April 2024]

It is a solid indie flic but the problem I have is that the likelyhood of an ex-West Ham youth player going homeless and driving around in an Audi whilst having a kid and a partner is very unrealistic. It's a bit forced-for-tv.

However the general concept is excellent. I love the flair between the teams and the banter and all the comradeship about the modern game. The football played is a hybrid of realistic non-league amateur fails combined with flair; touch and the skills of a professional level.

It has some odd rules which I don't know are that accurate like a two minute sin bin! The referee being suspect as well is another issue.

The writing could be better and they could have sought an expert before writing something which just is not that likely. The weekly earners that youth players receive now at Premier League level are £260k for an academy player so said he have two seasons that would be £400k at least. Most people do not earn that. So how he would be homeless I don't understand.

Anyway the general movie is nicely-done and the acting from Bill Nighy is superb. The American football player reminds me of the pro-FIFA player when you play as a girl in the game. Similar attributes; techical and similar build. I wonder if that was an inspiration. Forgive me but I can't remember her name!

I liked the interplay but at times it was too much showboating and too many ridiculous interplays. Like being too average then utterly astounding and then being unable to play...that confused me.

Methodone withdrawal happens in 30 hours and you get anxiety and tiredness and you start sweating. There wasn't enough of those on display and it was not clear when Nathan stopped taking his methodone yet the anxiety and overwhelmingness was very accurate.

The ending was weird but a nice way to finish the film. I thought it was a bit too long at two hours however the score was exceptional and Fela Kuti on was great to hear however I thought it would have been better with different scores from the countries playing. Japanese jazz for the Japanese team playing etc.

Anyway overall it was a super-fun movie which had me very raw and emotional at the end and it was nice seeing genuine actors and some silky smooth skils involved. With a bit more tweaking it could have been much more realistic. I love the montage at the end of the REAL homeless world cup.

A beautiful game

[anthonyflower-78517 · 8/10 · 31 March 2024]

I watched this with my parents who have limited enjoyment of the sport, however the emotion and character storyline transcend the sport. It was compelling viewing and had my parents cheering, up on their feet and crying at times.

As a football fan, I found Vinnys character arch very believable, knowing the amount of players and people professional sports churns out, seeing Vinny get closure from Bill Nye brought a tear to my eye.

This film has given me some faith in the recent slew of netflix movies and given me reason to continue my subscription.

I have since watching read that this is somewhat rooted in the real homeless world Cup, with several ex players and coaches being involved. Personally this film has drawn much needed attention to a well worth social topic hence my review.

Disappointing over-long, gaffe-filled mess of a Brit sporting drama

[danieljfarthing · 3/10 · 1 April 2024]

Inspired by football's Homeless World Cup (an actual event since 2001) Brit sporting drama "The Beautiful Game" SHOULDA been a gem, but experienced director Thea Sharrock, writer Frank Cottrell Boyce & editor Fernando Stutz all ruined it. Team gaffer Bill Nighy convinces down-on-his-luck one-time promising prospect Micheal Ward to play for England at the event in Rome with less talented players like Callum Scott Howells (good)... to teach him humility, camaraderie & self-worth? Bogged with too many side-stories, inconsistencies & annoying gaffs (an SF played before a QF?!) the potential inspiration is lost in an over-long (2hr+) mess. A disappointing turd. Flush it.

Very Human with fun and pathos

[nyccents · 10/10 · 30 March 2024]

I had not watched the trailers or done any research on this movie, and was wonderfully surprised. The story arc is not radically different than what one might expect, but the actual characters' stories are quite different.

The acting is great and the soccer (football) is fun to watch.

Nowadays, many movies that have some basis of truth to them and this is actually also loosely based on truth. There is a homeless World Cup each year.

At one point the movie seemed a little long because it seems predictable, it's two hours, but as said there are a few surprising plot twist. It certainly held my interest the whole time.

Was not impressed with this film

[jadebay-02050 · 1/10 · 1 April 2024]

I was very surprised as had some good actors in this film but the concept was ridiculous and was very predictable. Was actually very poor film. The acting when playing football was terrible as only saw "their" feet. The storyline behind it was stupid and to have a homeless football team in each country seemed too far fetch. Who would put the money for this to happen? Was not realistic one bit or something I could see happening in the future. I felt it was a waste of watch time but wanted to see the ending. I wasn't too impressed with the ending as was predictable and could have been better. I will not be recommending.

Absolute feel good film

[lasmith-09217 · 10/10 · 30 March 2024]

It might have been described as "predictable" in some 'official' reviews, but the thing is, when you watch a film and realise that real people are behind the stories, it suddenly becomes more than just a film. To think that there are coaches out there trying to make a difference, all around the world, is amazing. To have a snippet of an insight is even more effective. Quick paced, no down time. The story is easy to follow, you know all the players have their stories and feel immersed in the storyline, willing for a good outcome.

The diversity aligns with real world experience of bringing nations together from across the globe. There's not exactly a variety of settings, but there doesn't need to be. Ultimately, it's about a game, which goes from a pitch in England to a pitch in Rome.

Each actor brings their own unique interpretation, which is exactly what you would expect to happen. Each actor is able to continue the diversity of football and represent this throughout the film.

Altogether, a nice feel-good film.

Mildy entertaining at best.

[brucesarn-36583 · 3/10 · 16 April 2024]

Who wrote this rubbish. Yes it honors a great legacy. But give me a break, the film ultimately honors a lack of loyalty. Was that honestly the message being put forward here, because it certainly seems that way. Nighy is an Academy award winner, what on earth was he doing in this film, was it a sense of needing to do something for homeless people. To highlight their plight. Most of the actors looked about as close to the homeless we all know as a duck to a swan. Clean cut, healthy and fit humans, not the homeless I see - Ridiculous film done for the right reasons. That is the best way of describing it. I love Nighy films, but his enduring personality cannot not rescue a flop. Give the homeless whatever profits were made from this and make a real difference.

Such a human movie...

[wereldreizigster · 8/10 · 18 April 2024]

Is this the best movie ever? No. But it is a great watch on human nature and companionship. It is very much a movie about human interaction. About making mistakes and fixing them while falling down and getting back up again. It is a movie about finding your way back up after ending in the bottom of a ditch.

And maybe that's why we should all watch it. Not for the perfect storyline but for its humanity. For it's honesty and reflection. For its painful truth. We are all fallible. We are all only human. And we all make mistakes. But we all need to grab that chance to fix what we can. Because in that we find our shared humanity.

The Beautiful Game

[henry8-3 · 5/10 · 4 April 2024]

Mal (Bill Nighy) run a football team of homeless men and persuades impressive footballer Vinny (Michael Ward) to join. They are heading to Rome for the Homeless World Cup but each one of the team has personal demons that they need to manage/ overcome, particularly the somewhat sociopathic Vinny.

Whilst this feel good film features lots of troubled individuals coming to terms with their issues through the glories of football, it never really reaches the heights of feel good that it had the potential to achieve. Ward is strong though and largely at the centre of things and does pretty well, whilst Nighy, as ever, the best thing in the film. Unremarkable, but pleasant enough.