Bend It Like Beckham

When my 8-year-old and I went to see "Bend It Like Beckham," we went by accident.  We were at the theater to see "Lizzie Maguire," but had erred on its release date.  So, frustrated after standing in a long line, I asked the clerk, "What other kids' movie there is starting soon?  Fine, sold."

I envisioned this movie as a self-serving, documentary-type vehicle for David Beckham and his Spice Girl wife. I was wrong.  Never have I been so pleasantly surprised by a youth movie.  "Bend It Like Beckham" is more than a "girl power" feel-good movie, but one that deals in understandable and admirable ways with issues of diversity and inclusion.  Themes here, handled both seriously and lightly at the right times, include gender, classism, racism, and homophobia.  These issues are portrayed in real-life examples kids can understand, and are resolved in realistic ways that preserve respect.

In a wonderful scene, "Jessie" (the girl around whom the movie is centered) sits in the bleachers with downcast eyes.  Her compassionate soccer coach soon learns that Jessie is hesitating to play in front of others because she is self-conscious about wearing uniform shorts when her legs are badly scarred from a childhood accident.  The way the coach handles the situation enables Jessie to play without trauma and for teammates to accept her "difference."  What a wonderful message to "tweeners," who are just beginning to feel self-conscious.

Characters in "Beckham" are fleshed-out and likeable, even when they're acting in a way that frustrates or upsets other characters; Jessie shows enough empathy to at least understand where her parents are coming from even when she disagrees with them.  Family dynamics are handled in a realistic yet endearing way, much the same as it was in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."  It is also easier to embrace a movie in which the actors look like everyday people instead of magazine models.

You may find yourself translating the various accents in the movie for your child, as most of the actors in the film have heavy brogues.  There are also nuances, such as Jessie's family's Sikh ancestry and beliefs, which will be lost on younger audience members. but the soundtrack is certain to have children boogie-ing in their seats. While my 8-year-old understood enough of the movie to really like it, "Beckham" is beyond my 6-year-old.  However, by the time it's had its cinematic run and shows up on DVD, he may be old enough to appreciate it; this is one movie I can't wait to own.

It is getting more difficult to find children's movies that don't glorify violence or commercialism.  (The furthest "product placement" goes is Jessie's bedroom shrine to David Beckham, which is actually a plot device.)  The fact that "Beckham" does neither, in itself, makes it a candidate for the best kids' movie of the year.  But, despite some swearing by the teenaged characters, there are many more fundamental reasons to love this movie.  My daughter and I left the theater wanting to see it again, and to bring my
mother next time.

-Heidi McDonald

Heidi McDonald is a part-time freelance writer who works full-time and lives with her husband, two children and a spastic beagle.  Heidi's work has appeared in numerous periodicals, over radio airwaves,
and on the internet.