Like it or not, the country’s gone football crazy, football mad, munching on Fifa-branded Bangers and Mash crisps and staying up till 6am to watch Switzerland. But whether you’re a diehard fan or completely untouched by World Cup fever, it’s impossible to deny that the beautiful game has inspired some beautiful films, including early 00s girlhood gems like Bend It Like Beckham and Switching Goals – evidently, there’s a division of pitch-side motion picture for everyone.
For some, watching a footie film starring the Olsen twins is a toe dip into otherwise alien territory; for others, all-in flicks with cameos from players themselves affirm a longstanding love of the game. Whether your closest shave with sportsmanship has been salivating over Heated Rivalry or you’re looking for a footie fix between matches, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite football films for you to peruse. Think of it as a cinematic sweepstake – but with better odds.
Jafar Panahi’s 2006 heartfelt political drama Offside takes place in Iran, where women have been officially banned from so-called men’s sporting events. Set in June 2005, when the country’s team defeated Bahrain and qualified for the World Cup, the movie follows an unnamed female fan as she attempts to partake in the festivities at any cost. Manifestly, she dons boyish clothes and finds herself in a holding pen outside of the stadium grounds, where she is fed match-side commentary from some young guards employed via national service. Fun fact: the feature was actually filmed at a qualifying match for the Iranian National team, with the film’s outcome depending entirely on its result.
Shaolin Soccer, directed by Stephen Chow (who also stars as protagonist Sing) is a wacky action picture you can’t help but become obsessed with. Wayward from the outset, the film’s plot surrounds the reuniting of an ex-monk and his now urbanised brothers, clubbing their once supernatural kung-fu skills together and using them to win a soccer game. It’s kitschy, entertaining, and filled with colourful characters (personally, my favourite scene is where a martial arts pro is challenged to kick an egg without breaking it as a training initiative).
There’s something so iconic about a celebrity playing themselves in a film, especially when they parody their public perception so brilliantly. This is the case in Looking For Eric, when postman and sports devotee Eric Bishop (played by Steve Evets) finds counsel in his waking weed-dreams of the famous French striker, Eric Cantona. Taking on an almost fairy godmother type role, Cantona shows up for his fellow Eric at a time where life feels like it’s “slipping through [his] fingers”, advising him through various antics, including brushes with organised crime and spit-pooling Rottweilers. Despite the comedics, there’s a life-affirming message behind it all: as Ken Loach’s film reaches its glorious crescendo, featuring dozens Manchester United fans coming together in Eric Cantona masks and saving the day, it’s easy to see it went down such a treat at Cannes.”
Sparked from a serendipitous meeting between a football player and medical student, What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? is a tender counterpoint to the terraces and savagery of other picks on this list (it has the second body-swap storyline, though!). Written by Georgian filmmaker and lifelong Messi stan, Alexandre Koberidze, the film sees strangers Lisa and Giorgi bump into each other and arrange to go for coffee. But when Lisa falls victim to a bewitching, the couple’s appearances morph, leaving them unable to find each other and desperate to meet again. How is this a football film you ask? It has more sports scenes than your typical football showing, and the ending coincides with a buzzy World Cup in Europe.
Set in East London, Green Street Hooligans follows US native Matt (Elijah Wood) as he finds an unlikely connection with gang honcho Pete, played by Charlie Hunnam honing a shaky Cockney accent. As the story unfolds, Pete invites Matt to join the Green Street Elite, a fictional West Ham firm inspired by the real Inter City, which operated in the 70s. Through it all, the group inflict violence on rival group, Millwall, singing “I’m forever blowing bubbles” amid the mean streets of pre-Olympics Stratford.
Sherry Hormann’s Men Like Us, retitled in English to Guys and Balls, is both a satirical and sentimental depiction of queer sportsmanship. Set in a small town neighboring Dortmund, where football’s the given pastime, Ecki sets out to create his own division when he’s kicked out of his home team for being gay. Heading to the city to spread the word of his all-queer assembly, he stumbles across new recruits in rogue places: kebab shops, leather bars, and various other places where dreams are made. Starring the kind of cast you can’t help but root for, the plot eventually heads towards a showdown between the plucky gay upstarts and Ecki’s ex-team. Who doesn’t love an underdog story?
If the World Cup teaches us one thing, it’s surely that football – or “soccer” – is for everyone. Starring a pair of teeny-tiny Olsen sisters, Switching Goals is a light-hearted sports romp directed by sitcom king, David Steinberg. In a script that’s suspiciously similar to The Parent Trap – except this one cast actual twins – Sam and Emma Stanton are presented to us as opposite archetypes. Despite their shared DNA, the former is a soccer champ and the latter is a femme girlie with haphazard footwork. Scheming to switch places after their soccer coach dad is forced to choose Emma for his top-league Hurricanes team, the girls swap jerseys – and voila! This inspires some fun near-misses, hearty montages, and “big game” anticipation to settle the score.
