22 December 2023.
By Neptune
NEXT GOAL WINS **1/2
The serious Irish/German actor Michael Fassbender (“Hunger”, “Inglorious Basterds”, “Twelve Years a Slave”, “Macbeth”, “The Killer”) in a wacky comedy doesn’t seem likely, but here it is. He plays a struggling football coach who just lost his last job and has to accept an embarrassing position training the worst ever football club on the island of American Samoa in the South Pacific. They are a motley crew of incompetents who just seem to enjoy being together as a team, but have never, ever scored a goal! This is the true story of the coach and the team training for the 2014 World Cup.
This quirky film is directed by the New Zealander Taika Waititi (watch out for him as the outlandish island priest) who last came up with another wild tale called “Jojo Rabbit” spoofing a Hitler Youth character, which won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Here he shows the islanders as a sweet, gentle people who aren’t very ambitious about actually winning a game, which drives Fassbinder’s troubled character crazier than usual.
An amusing film with some touching characters on the team and the island, including a flamboyant trans player who steals the show. But somehow Fassbinder’s character doesn’t feel authentic, and the script and dialogue are often lacking cohesion.
Dear Cinephiles,
Here’s wishing you Joy through the holidays, Health for you and yours, and Peace on Earth in our troubled world for 2024…🙏🍀🍀🍀
Before the year is up, make sure you catch some of the best films on our screens (all reviewed here – go to lenews.ch + the name of the film ) :
PERFECT DAYS
ANSELM
PAST LIVES
WINTER BREAK (THE HOLDOVERS)MAESTRO
NAPOLEON
SOUDAIN SEULS
(See their schedules on Cineman.ch – Geneve)
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
