RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Bend It Like Beckham (2003)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
85 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:147

Fresh:125

Rotten:22

Average Rating:7.2/10

Consensus: Inspiring, compassionate, and with a sly undercurrent of social commentary, Bend It Like Beckham is a lively feel-good movie that genuinely charms.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Like most everyone else in England, Jess Bahmra (Parminder Nagra) idolizes professional British football player David Beckham. But Jess is different from most fans; she's a talented player in her... Like most everyone else in England, Jess Bahmra (Parminder Nagra) idolizes professional British football player David Beckham. But Jess is different from most fans; she's a talented player in her own right. Unfortunately, her traditional Indian parents (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) have other plans for their youngest daughter. They expect Jess to follow in the footsteps of her sister, Pinky (Archie Panjabi), who is preparing to marry in a traditional Indian wedding. When Jess meets Jules (Keira Knightley), who plays for a local female football team, she pursues her own dream and begins to play, keeping her participation a secret from her parents and often leading to disastrous results. To complicate matters even more, both Jess and Jules are enamored with their coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Ultimately, Jess has to decide whether to live life on her terms or act in accordance with her parents' wishes. This charming coming-of-age tale is also an intriguing look at Indian culture in England. Juliet Stevenson is superb as Jules' tarty, ultra-feminine mother. BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM is directed, written, and produced by Gurinder Chadha (BHAJI ON THE BEACH, WHAT'S COOKING?), and marks the first English feature film appearance from Bollywood icon Anupam Kher. [More]

Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher

Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi, Shaznay Lewis, Frank Harper, Juliet Stevenson

Director: Gurinder Chadha

Director: Gurinder Chadha
Screenwriter: Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra, Paul Mayeda Berges
Producer: Deepak Nayar, Gurinder Chadha
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 6

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Bend It Like Beckham

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A comedy with heart and substance.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/01/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Delightfully upbeat, it will send you back out onto the street grinning from ear to ear.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Alan Morrison
Alan Morrison
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Nagra and Knightley have winning personalities, but credit should also go to writer/director Chadha for getting the balance right between humour and pathos, and sporting and romantic action.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It has a terrific cast and an infectious sense of fun that should turn it into a decent-sized hit.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Pity it doesn't bend many cinematic rules along the way.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/12/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

A comedy with heart and substance.

Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
04/19/02
FilmFour.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's the kind of film that'll have the whole audience clapping by the time the credit sequence outtakes appear.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/19/02
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gurinder Chadha's third film is an undemanding, unambitious comedy.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/19/02
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The fact that it makes us consider implications beyond the events onscreen is impressive. Still, there's something missing...

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
04/18/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The acting is as nimble as the footwork.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
08/01/08
Jumana Farouky
Jumana Farouky
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Chadha does a decent job directing, while Parminder Nagra does a good job acting. The movie's main problem is that it's a little more fussy than it needs to be.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
06/09/08
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

Fine character work by Juliet Stevenson, Archie Panjabi, and Bollywood regular Anupam Kher makes this well worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/26/07
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

More rooted in small-screen sitcom than anything deeper.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/07
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Formulaico do início ao fim, não convence nem mesmo em suas seqüências envolvendo futebol %u2013 apesar da boa dinâmica entre Nagra e Knightley.

comment Comment
12/01/05
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

It reminds you why these formulas are still around, because every now and then, they really do work.

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

Suffice it to say this is a delightful, uplifting treat, whether you like soccer or not (and I don’t).

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
10/07/04
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

its irresistible charms and performances are what linger and make Beckham a popcorn, er, samosa flick worth savoring.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Alternative | comment Comment
09/30/04
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Los Angeles Alternative

Every generation has to discover the same clichés that were drummed into previous generations, and kids could do worse than to learn them from this film.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for Bend It Like Beckham

February 19, 2009: Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
She was 13 when she made her big screen debut in Paul Andrew Williams' affecting drama London to Brighton, and drew stellar notices from critics as a young victim of child... More...

June 20, 2008: RT Interview: Keira Knightley on Welsh Accents and Life After Pirates
Britain's hottest young actress tells RT why supporting homegrown films is important as she talks about her latest role in Dylan Thomas biopic The Edge of Love. More...

April 06, 2006: New Director in "Dallas" Country
For a while there it really looked like Fox's Dallas adaptation was going to be directed by Legally Blonde filmmaker Robert Luketic, but the guy left the project thanks to... More...

November 24, 2005: A Day to Give Thanks (for Good Thanksgiving Movies!)
The Newsday column gets to take a few days off during the big holidays, but I couldn't let today go by without offering our friends a handful of Turkey-day treats. If you're... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…
19% 19% Transformers: Revenge …
55% 55% Orphan

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
98% 98% Up
88% 88% Ballast
66% 66% The Merry Gentleman

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Rachel McAdams Reads for Spider-Man 4
108
  • Rachel McAdams Rumored for Spider-Man 4 Source: Mania.com
162
  • Danny Elfman Leaves The Wolfman Source: Cinemusic.net
29
  • Oldboy Remake Rumored Dead Source: Latino Review
20
  • Francis Lawrence Directing a Futuristic Sgt. Rock Source: Hollywood Reporter
3
  • Can Avatar Make Money? Source: New York Times
121
  • Robert Pattinson Says Breaking Dawn Could Roll in Fall 2010 Source: Collider.com
38
  • Joe Johnston Talks The Wolfman Source: Ain't It Cool News
8
  • Jason Schwartzman Talks Scott Pilgrim Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
102
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: John Cusack's Best Movies
93
  • Five Favorite Films with Roland Emmerich
77
  • Critics Consensus: 2012 Isn't Quite Earth-Shaking
43
  • Weekly Ketchup: Rachel McAdams Reads for Spider-Man 4
36
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Christmas Carol Tops, Precious Rocks
34
  • Five Favourite Films with Ang Lee
29
  • 10 Movies That Changed The (End Of The) World
28
  • Friday Harvest: Clash of the Titans, Kick-Ass, and more!
22
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
4
  • RT's Holiday Movie Preview -- Find Out What's Hot This Season!
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
4
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
15
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
40
  • Michael Moore: The RT Interview
139
  • Andrea Arnold talks Fish Tank - RT Interview
4
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Bend It Like Beckham at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Bend It Like Beckham at IGN
  • Bend It Like Beckham at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.