I took a break from Oscar movies to watch Bend It Like Beckham, a movie I haven't seen since 2004 when I watched it outside on Severance Green with my first-year classmates at Wellesley Orientation. Watching this movie brought a wave of nostalgia flooding back and not just because Keira Knightley, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers are ridiculously baby-faced in this film.
If you haven't seen this movie (Really? Go see it now!) here are some plot points. Set in England, it's the story of Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra (Parminder Nagra from ER), a Sikh girl who loves to play football (or soccer if you're American). Playing in the park with her guy friends, she is spotted by Juliette "Jules" Paxton (Keira Knightley before she was famous) who encourages her to join the Hounslow Harriers, the girls football team that she plays for. The team coach is Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, also before he was famous, and sporting a very Irish accent) who is thrilled to see Jess's skills on the football field, and may have some deeper feelings for her off the field.
The dilemmas in this film arise from a clash of cultures, but also from the dismissive attitude towards the idea of girls playing football. Naturally Jess's strict Sikh parents want her to learn to cook a "full Indian meal" and find a nice Indian husband instead of wasting her time with football, while Jules faces her own arguments with her mother who wishes her daughter was more girly and less into sports. In many ways the movie portrays both the white girl and the brown girl as having very similar problems, and even though they come from vastly different cultures, perhaps they're not so different as their families think. They both even fall for the same guy, which as you can imagine is a source of some conflict.
The movie joyfully romps through its cast of characters and their various hang-ups and insecurities and it ends on a high note, signalling a victory for cultural awareness, familial acceptance, and feminism. What thrilled me most about the movie though is how wonderfully it passes the Bechdel Test and proves that a movie with two female leads can certainly be as entertaining (if not more) as one with a plethora of males and the occasional female who wants a date. Jess and Jules are passionate about football and when they are with their teammates, they can rejoice in that passion without having to face the onslaught of family members telling them it is more "normal" for girls their age to look pretty and find a man.
I would be remiss if I did not also mention the brilliant soundtrack of this movie. It features some Bollywood hits I love, as well as several Western songs from the early 2000s that transported me to my days listening to the UK Top 40. There are some of Mel C's solo songs (that's Sporty Spice, appropriately enough) that I had completely forgotten about, and when Texas's Inner Smile comes on, I dare you not to feel thoroughly uplifted. Of course there's the famous scene in the final game when Jess has to take a penalty kick while she imagines her female relatives blocking the goal; there is nothing more perfect than the soaring declaration of "Vincero!" from the aria Nessun Dorma as she dispels her doubts and kicks that ball right into the goal.
Bend It Like Beckham is a true celebration of girls who can and will do anything to achieve their dreams, dreams that don't involve men or dressing up. Funnily enough, the original script meant for Jess and Jules to end up together, but that was re-written since the director thought it would be too offensive to conservative Asians. However, the movie does have a subplot tackling homophobia and does so in a characteristically effervescent non-preachy style. The tone of this film is so light and joyful that you forget how many life lessons it actually has to impart and perhaps that's its greatest achievement.
If all you want is a good sports movie that will make you laugh, this is the movie for you. But don't blame me if it sneakily ends up teaching you a thing or two about how kick-ass girls can be.
If you haven't seen this movie (Really? Go see it now!) here are some plot points. Set in England, it's the story of Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra (Parminder Nagra from ER), a Sikh girl who loves to play football (or soccer if you're American). Playing in the park with her guy friends, she is spotted by Juliette "Jules" Paxton (Keira Knightley before she was famous) who encourages her to join the Hounslow Harriers, the girls football team that she plays for. The team coach is Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, also before he was famous, and sporting a very Irish accent) who is thrilled to see Jess's skills on the football field, and may have some deeper feelings for her off the field.
The dilemmas in this film arise from a clash of cultures, but also from the dismissive attitude towards the idea of girls playing football. Naturally Jess's strict Sikh parents want her to learn to cook a "full Indian meal" and find a nice Indian husband instead of wasting her time with football, while Jules faces her own arguments with her mother who wishes her daughter was more girly and less into sports. In many ways the movie portrays both the white girl and the brown girl as having very similar problems, and even though they come from vastly different cultures, perhaps they're not so different as their families think. They both even fall for the same guy, which as you can imagine is a source of some conflict.
The movie joyfully romps through its cast of characters and their various hang-ups and insecurities and it ends on a high note, signalling a victory for cultural awareness, familial acceptance, and feminism. What thrilled me most about the movie though is how wonderfully it passes the Bechdel Test and proves that a movie with two female leads can certainly be as entertaining (if not more) as one with a plethora of males and the occasional female who wants a date. Jess and Jules are passionate about football and when they are with their teammates, they can rejoice in that passion without having to face the onslaught of family members telling them it is more "normal" for girls their age to look pretty and find a man.
I would be remiss if I did not also mention the brilliant soundtrack of this movie. It features some Bollywood hits I love, as well as several Western songs from the early 2000s that transported me to my days listening to the UK Top 40. There are some of Mel C's solo songs (that's Sporty Spice, appropriately enough) that I had completely forgotten about, and when Texas's Inner Smile comes on, I dare you not to feel thoroughly uplifted. Of course there's the famous scene in the final game when Jess has to take a penalty kick while she imagines her female relatives blocking the goal; there is nothing more perfect than the soaring declaration of "Vincero!" from the aria Nessun Dorma as she dispels her doubts and kicks that ball right into the goal.
Bend It Like Beckham is a true celebration of girls who can and will do anything to achieve their dreams, dreams that don't involve men or dressing up. Funnily enough, the original script meant for Jess and Jules to end up together, but that was re-written since the director thought it would be too offensive to conservative Asians. However, the movie does have a subplot tackling homophobia and does so in a characteristically effervescent non-preachy style. The tone of this film is so light and joyful that you forget how many life lessons it actually has to impart and perhaps that's its greatest achievement.
If all you want is a good sports movie that will make you laugh, this is the movie for you. But don't blame me if it sneakily ends up teaching you a thing or two about how kick-ass girls can be.
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