Bend It Like BeckhamMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 66 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The most exhilarating movie so far this year. It's made up of many familiar elements -- think ''Monsoon Wedding'' meets ''My Beautiful Laundrette'' meets ''Personal Best'' -- yet before long, you catch on to how buoyant and funny and original it is. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    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. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    The juxtaposition between the fast-paced plays on the soccer field and the color-drenched, music-infused wedding party is a highlight of this captivating film. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    There's a great sense of fun in the cultural collision between Indian and British lifestyles -- often within the same person. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Rita Kempley

    You seldom leave a theater walking on air, much less float all through a movie. But the joyous Bend It Like Beckham never lets you down. Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Smart, lively and altogether warmhearted dramatic comedy. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Writer-director Gurinder Chadha juggles all the angles with flair and fairness. Like Nagra and Knightley, the movie is a sweetheart. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Derek Elley

    Writer-helmer Gurinder Chadha assembles a gallery of broadly played stereotypes into a movie about social attitudes that's more rooted in small-screen sitcom than anything deeper. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Routine, genial sports movie. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Dana Stevens

    Its cheery inoffensiveness, though, is in some ways disappointing. Read full review

View more reviews for Bend It Like Beckham on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Superb tale of a girl's struggle for her dreams.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know there is an implied sexual situation between a couple committed to marrying each other. Homosexuality is discussed. Several of the under 21-year-old characters do have a beer or a glass of wine, however they drink responsibly and are of legal age in the UK/Germany, where the scenes take place. Jess hides her soccer playing from her family and lies to protect her secret.
  • Families can talk about why Jess feels she cannot talk to her family about her love of sports and how she defends her subterfuge.
  • How does her father's cricket experience impact his view of Jess' soccer playing?
  • What might be the common bond between Irish Joe and Indian Jess?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The main characters work hard and overcome obstacles to achieve their goals.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Strong female characters who are smart and athletic.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Not an issue
  • sex false2 Sex: References to homosexuality and premarital sex.
  • language false3 Language: Some strong language.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking and smoking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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