Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is a football enthusiast with a special talent for the game, but her parents don’t approve and want her to follow a traditional Sikh path in life. When Jess meets Jules (Keira Knightley) and team coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) she realises that football might be her future after all.
There’s lots to love about this film. The three leads are all excellent and deliver refreshing, emotive performances. What lets it down is the awkward presentation of the older generation. There’s an excruciatingly hammy performance by Juliet Stevenson as Jules’ mother. She’s embarrassing to watch and I never once believed they were related. Her father (Frank Harper) is almost as bad. In fact, all four of the girls’ parents are represented as one-dimensional “types”. There’s a woeful lack of subtlety and nuance in the characterisation. Much better is Archie Panjabi as Jess’s older sister, who is planning to marry. The dynamic between the two girls is tender and has the all-important ring of truth about it.
The music sometimes seems misjudged, used in fast-cut, intrusive “pop video” sequences that undermine the drama. It could have been grittier and tighter (like Brassed Off, perhaps), but parts of it feel like an episode of Grange Hill.
That said, it ultimately wins you over with a rousing, feel-good finale, and the simple charm of the two footballing friends is sweet and touching.
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