X
- 2023
- PG-13
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
- 2023
- PG-13
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
Summary Next Goal Wins follows the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0. With the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around.
Directed By: Taika Waititi
Written By: Iain Morris, Taika Waititi
- 2023
- PG-13
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
- 2023
- PG-13
- Searchlight Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
Next Goal Wins
44
5.6
Where to Watch
Summary Next Goal Wins follows the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0. With the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around.
Directed By: Taika Waititi
Written By: Iain Morris, Taika Waititi
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
44
29% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
45% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
26% Negative
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
44
29% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
45% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
26% Negative
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
It's not a usual story: a down on its luck team that has its own way of doing things turns a jaded coach into a human with a heart. We've all seen that before. But, Waititi's singular style makes it a joy to watch and a film worth cheering for.
It’s decent, adequate fun.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 33 User Ratings
5.6
45% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
36% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
18% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 33 User Ratings
5.6
45% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
36% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
18% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
"Next Goal Wins" might be my favorite non super hero Taika Waititi film. The first hour is a very fun ride, but the end seemed to have trouble finding its footing. As with all of Waititi movies, the scenery and camera work are beautiful with excellent performances from people I have never heard of.
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The whole film is a little rough-and-ready in the way it’s put together, but it’s amiable and well-intentioned and the laughs are real.
Next Goal Wins isn’t a tale of “woe” or “woah!” but “meh.”
Based on an acclaimed documentary, the film looks to be asking us to fill in the many gaps in its Swiss-cheese narrative.
It’s a shame that Waititi’s return to Indigenous-centered filmmaking is marred by regressive narrative choices and lazy jokes. Otherwise, we might have had a real winner on our hands.
Next Goal Wins feels like it's made by a director out of ideas — it's a film made up of lazy, visually vacant, and soulless filmmaking.
A sweet film. Funny in many areas which probably won’t get the wide audience it deserves on the big screen. That said it will do well when it eventually streams.
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IN A NUTSHELL:
The film was directed by Taika Waititi, who also puts himself in the very first scene. He appears again towards the end, but he is definitely not the focus of the movie. His role is to provide flavor while introducing us to the culture of American Samoa. You can see his sense of humor in the telling of the feel-good story.
Writing credits also go to Taika Waititi who co-wrote the movie with Iain Morris. The talented Andy Serkis is one of the Executive Producers of the film.
THINGS I LIKED:
Michael Fassbender gives us a fantastic performance, as we’ve come to expect in all of his films.
The rest of the cast does a good job too and includes Will Arnett, Elisabeth Moss, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Kaimana, Oscar Knightley, David Fane, and others. We get to learn a little bit about the culture of America Samoa.
I love the look of Rachel House’s cool smile. She was really great in the movie The Portable Door. I’d like to see more of her.
I really liked the “marinating” analogy. Sometimes, we just need to marinate on a problem or situation.
Like all sports movies similar to this one, it’s fun to watch the training sequences when the team goes from terrible to really good.
I loved the spirited dance by the team before the first big game began.
You don’t have to really like soccer to thoroughly enjoy this fun film.
At the end of the movie, we get to see photos and video clips of the real people this movie is about.
I laughed, I smiled, but this one didn’t make me cry.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
Sometimes, it’s hard to understand what everyone is saying due to their thick accents.
Only a few of the players on the team are featured. It would have been nice to get to know all of them better, although I recognize that’s extremely hard to do in only 90 minutes.
Some may worry that the movie is attempting another “White Savior” story.
A character sings the song “Chandelier” by Sia, which is cute; however, the film is supposed to take place in 2011, while the song didn’t come out until 2014.
There are a few bad acting moments.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Someone draws many women’s breasts on a man’s face. We see them in quite a few scenes. It’s supposed to be funny. It’s not.
One of the characters is Trans.
Some profanity, including 1 F-bomb.
Lots of alcohol
Bullying
A man has anger management issues
Some Samoan is spoken without subtitles.
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When Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok) writes and directs a movie, you can expect a unique approach to the subject. In this case, he's taken the true story of the American Samoa soccer team, who most famously lost in the FIFA with a score of 31-0. They hire a new coach who's disgraced back in the states (Michael Fassbender) to help turn them around. The typical plot points are there (training montage, personnel setbacks, earnest pep talks) and sometimes Waititi has managed to add some quirk to the characters or situations. While there aren't a lot of outright laughs, there's a lighthearted spirit and upbeat attitude that makes this underdog sports story enjoyable. Two interesting notes:1. This team was the first to have a trans player.2. The coach's daughter went to VCU and he wears a logo hat during the game.NOTE: Stay thru the credits for one final gag from the director.
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Inoffensive comedy that cheats its way to an "emotional" ending. I didn't laugh at any joke, but it sure has its cute moments. Taika Waititi still hasn't recovered from Thor: Love and Thunder.
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The Waititi charm shines through sporadically but this is one of the more bizarrely toned and edited films in a while. Shots and dialogue are recycled through out and the sports movie conclusion is half baked at best.
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Production Company
Archer's Mark,
Imaginarium Productions,
Piki Films,
Searchlight Pictures
Release Date Nov 17, 2023
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Be Happy.
Awards
The Queerties
• 1 Nomination
