Bend It Like Beckham

Bend it Like Beckham is one of those movies that is a total gem – it’s a feel-good hit but not in the Disney ‘feel-good-and-go-by-shit-you-don’t-need’ sense. But it is a sparkling comedy about the clash of cultures and futures when a young Indian girl tries to follow her dreams of being a professional soccer player. The characters are just fantastic and you experience the worry and dread as Jess tries to break it to her mother that she wants to play soccer – her mother of course starts going to church more often to pray for her misguided daugthers. Jess’s friend Jules has similar problems in that her mother fears that all of that athletic aggression is going to turn her poor daughter into a total dyke. This is a film along the lines of My Big Fat Greek wedding where there is so much that is central to the Indian culture but still so much more that would be present whatever the culture presented – along with the common warning to all young girls: ‘Don’t marry a white boy!’ The clash between tradition and modernity and family and dreams. It really is a great film. One of those movies my kids are allowed to watch all they want – even with the foul language. Just rent it – it’s great. Mom and dad: you’ll love it. The DVD also includes an extra feature where the director demonstrates how to prepare the traditional Indian dish aloo gobi while her mother and aunt watch on. You can see the tension on her mom’s face as she just wants to get up and rip the spoon out of her daughter’s hand because she’s doing it wrong. Again: something you’ll find in every culture – the kids are gonna fuck it up!


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