Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Director:

Gurinder Chadha

Writers:

Gurinder Chadha (written by) &
Guljit Bindra (written by) ...

Release Date:

1 August 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?

Plot:

The daughter of orthodox Sikh rebels against her parents' traditionalism by running off to Germany with a football team (soccer in America).

Plot Keywords:

Indian | Soccer | Running | Sikh | Team

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 17 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Parminder Nagra	...	Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra
Keira Knightley	...	Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Joe
Anupam Kher	...	Mr. Bhamra
Archie Panjabi	...	Pinky Bhamra
Shaznay Lewis	...	Mel
Frank Harper	...	Alan Paxton
Juliet Stevenson	...	Paula Paxton
Shaheen Khan	...	Mrs. Bhamra
Ameet Chana	...	Tony
Pooja Shah	...	Meena (as Poojah Shah)
Paven Virk	...	Bubbly
Preeya Kalidas	...	Monica
Trey Farley	...	Taz
Saraj Chaudhry	...	Sonny (as Saraj Chaudry)

Also Known As:

Kick It Like Beckham (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

112 min | Spain:115 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA

Language:

English | Punjabi | Hindi | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/6 | Chile:14 | Spain:T | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Austria:6 (Steiermark) | Brazil:Livre | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:L | India:U | Ireland:12PG | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38936)

Filming Locations:

Contessa Lingerie Shop, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Kintop Pictures

Trivia:

The actresses were coached by Simon Clifford, who runs Futbol De Salao, a Brazilian soccer school.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final match (while Jess is still changing in the car), when the first goal is scored, a completely different ball is shown going into the net.

Quotes:

[Re: Jesminder's breasts]
Dressmaker: Don't worry, Miss Bahmra. Our designs will make even these little mosquito bites look like juicy, juicy mangos!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Ego Trip's Race-O-Rama" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Putt Sardara De

I will always remember this movie.

As someone who's never been into sports, it seems like it would be hard for me to get into the football (or as we Americans inexplicably call it, soccer)-themed "Bend It Like Beckham". But I gotta say, this was one cool movie! Anglo-Indian Jesminder Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) and her WASP friend Juliette Paxton (Keira Knightley) love to play football (yes, I'm going to say it the British - and international - way) and just adore football player David Beckham. But Jesminder's traditional Sikh parents don't approve (her mother offers a really whacked-out description of football early in the movie). Okay, so maybe it was sort of a cliché in that sense, but you gotta love this movie! And if like me, you go to this movie not knowing the definition of "bend" in football...don't worry, the movie explains it (I'd also never heard of David Beckham prior to this movie). And we all know that Keira Knightley hit it big: a few months after "BILB" came out in the States, she starred in the equally cool "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl".