There are a few perks to living in NYC and one of them is the ability to attend the Tribeca film festival. Although I could not shell out a thousand dollars for the all access pass I did appreciate the fact that I could buy tickets to a single screening. For 12 bucks a ticket I even managed to convince my roommates to come out for a Sunday afternoon matinee.

The film was screened at the Tribeca performing arts center where the audience was joined by director Danny Cannon, lead actor Kuno Becker and several other cast and crew members. Prior to the start of the film the director made a short speech about the making of the film, introduced us to the cast and crew and thanked all the football fans for coming to watch the film (which received a huge roar from the audience).

Goal! The Dream Begins, is part one of a trilogy that follows the story of Santiago Munez (Becker), a young Mexican immigrant who lives with his family in Los Angeles. Although he has two jobs, Munez still plays football for a local league at the park whenever he can. As fate would have it, things change when a former Newcastle United player and washed out talent scout Glen Foy (Stephen Dillane) watches him play. Foy recognizes the boys potential and promises him a try out for Newcastle united, provided Santiago can get himself to England.

Sport movies are hard to hate/dislike simply because we all seem to be suckers for the underdog achieving his/her dreams. At the same time creating a sport film that stands out among the hundred sports films that came before it is a difficult task. More often that not the sport movie formula falls prey to the clichés of the genre making it an enjoyable one time view but dooming it to eventual mediocrity. Not surprisingly, the better sport movies distinguish themselves from the pack via strong performances by cast and by giving equal (if not more importance) to the events that take place off the field. (Remember the Titans, Rudy)
In this regard, Goal! is a mixed bag of hits and misses. The film has its fair share of clichés some of which include; Santiago’s disapproving father who tries to stifle his dreams, the beautiful but caring nurse who falls for him and his struggle to prove himself worthy enough to play at a professional level while suffering from asthma.

However, the strong acting performances all around save the day. Marcel Iures as Newcastle’s manager is superb and Alessandro Nivola shines in his performance as the egotistical super star with an unexpected streak of loyalty. Off the field the dialogue is engaging and quite funny at times (“How old do you have to be to drink in England?”) ensuring there are no dull moments. On the field an up-tempo soundtrack keeps the blood pumping. Cameos by soccer legends such as Beckham, Zidane and Raul give an authentic touch to the film and are sure to please any football fan. Speaking of authenticity, this film was partly funded by FIFA giving the filmmakers access to all the training grounds, games and players. The film extensively uses footage from real premiership games spliced together with shots of the actors. This gives the film a unique touch and really adds to the excitement in the big game scenes.

Goal! has been aimed at promoting football in the United States, before the start of the 2006 world cup. Reminds me of a funny scene in the movie where Santiago is in an English pub and asks a group of guys if they are talking about soccer and they give him a blank look but when he says football their faces light up. Call it what you may, soccer/football is the most widely followed sport in the world and the eventual goal (pun intended) of the film trilogy would be to increase awareness here in the US.

Whether or not the film succeeds as a trilogy remains to be seen. Filming for part two has already begun and sees Santiago as a part of Real Madrid and the third part is set during the 2006 world cup. As a standalone film, Goal! does not rewrite the genre but is an enjoyable film that should be given credit for attempting to bring football to the big screen. Overall, Goal! is an enjoyable film that will appeal to most audiences and leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling.