Goal! The Dream Begins [Blu-ray]
Goal! The Dream Begins [Blu-ray]
Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 11/21/2006 Rating: Pg13You’d have to be a heartless curmudgeon to dislike a movie as enjoyably sincere as Goal! The Dream Begins. Yes, the corny title tells you all you need to know about this rags-to-riches soccer tale, but like Hoosiers and Rudy, this conventional sports drama rises above its familiar plot with an engaging cast and some pleasant surprises along the way. The first in a proposed trilogy that will follow young Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) as he rises to prominence in the competitive world of British soccer, this one begins by showing how Santiago, an undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles, attracts the attention of a talent scout (Stephen Dillane), who arranges a tryout for England’s prestigious team, Newcastle United. It’s rough going for a beleaguered trainee who suffers from asthma, but soon Santiago is befriended by a hard-partying soccer star (Alessandro Nivola) and he’s on his way to reaching his…Goal! It’s all very inevitable, but director Danny Cannon makes the most of this inspiring story by exploiting the unexpected subtleties in an otherwise predictable screenplay: Santigo’s relationship with his seemingly unsupportive father (Tony Plana) gains additional resonance as the story unfolds; a local nurse (Anna Friel) turns out to be more than a routine love interest; and Newcastle’s German manager (Marcel Iures) is a wry, colorful character who works miracles with his unruly squad of players. Add some obligatory cameo appearances by real-life soccer stars including (of course) the great David Beckham, and you’ve got a modest, likable hit that delivers exactly what it promises, and a little bit more. –Jeff Shannon
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars nice family film–good feel and entertaining soccer
Bought this and a couple of others for my soccer-obsessed, 12-yo son. He’s seen it about 12 times, since Christmas. Loves it!! We’ve watched it with him, a couple of times. I was surprisingly pleased at the story’s holding my interest, the charm of the lead actor, and that it made watching a bit of soccer pretty exciting. Little corny, in places, but all in all, a nice film.
5 Stars Sweet deal!
Great movie, and the seller’s description was right on. The price was good, condition was excellent and delivery was fast.
3 Stars Goal! The Dream Begins - Blu-ray Info
Version: U.S.A / BVHE / Region A
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-25 / AACS / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 1:58:07
Movie size: 21,85 GB
Disc size: 23,65 GB
Total bit rate: 24.66 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 16.18 Mbps
LPCM Audio English 4608 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4608 kbps / 16-bit
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps
Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish
Number of chapters: 20
#Featurette: Behind the Pitch (HD - 10m:59s)
#Movie Showcase
4 Stars Cliche filled -but very good anyway
Most sports movies fall into the “seen one you’ve seen them all category”. Goal is a fairly typical sports movie story of an underdog who defies all the odds to make it big and even get the girl at the end. All the stereotypes are here. The loving grandmother, the tough father, the conceited superstar, the stern coach, the adoring younger brother. So given all that why did I enjoy this so much?
First Kuno Becker gives a fine performance in the lead role as a young Mexican immigrant in Los Angeles who is spotted playing park football and ends up in the English Premier League. Second- The film is unusual in the dual settings of Los Angeles and Newcastle, UK. Third- The football sequences are well done and feature cameos by numerous big name players and the depiction of game day at St Jame’s park in Newcastle is incredibly cool.
Finally, for a soccer fan living in the LA area how can you not be drawn into a film that deals with both your hometown and your favorite sport.
5 Stars Uplifting
I enjoyed this movie as a rental and decided I needed this for my own viewing at anytime.
Filed under: Blue Ray Movie Reviews