Pierwszy gol

An enjoyable feel-good sports film by Taika Waititi with likeable characters and a very good Michael Fassbender. Story-wise, it's a stale tale, but it doesn't matter that much as the film flows on a pleasantly positive mood throughout. Don't expect fits of laughter though, but it held my attention very well. 70%. (20.02.2024)

Such nice people. Such a nice movie. I last played football in high school and I'm about as good a player as Michael Fassbender, but still, Taika Waititi's laid-back comedy worked wonders for me. The bizarre episodes of exploring American Samoa and the training montages are topped, unsurprisingly, by the first game. Cool Runnings but with football. But the best and strongest thing Next Goal Wins is not the comedy. At the half-time speech, the film switches gears for a moment and, thanks to Fassbender's strong performance, also hits you incredibly hard; it brings out the darkness and unexpected cruelty of the world. The only way to combat this is by enjoying life and trying to have fun, not by spinning in a spiral of self-destruction. I think that's what Waititi meant. (17.02.2024)

Kicking off my 2024 cinema experience with this one wasn’t a disaster, thankfully! While I might downgrade it to three stars later, for now, I’ve got to give props to Taika Waititi’s playful style, which I still enjoy. Honestly, I laughed more than I expected. Part of that is probably because I’ve loved football since I was a kid, and the game still holds a special place in my heart. This is your classic underdog story—nothing groundbreaking—but sometimes, you just want to sit back and watch something like this (especially if you’ve ever played team sports and experienced the funny challenges that come with it, especially at an amateur level—others might see it as “just another sports movie”). Fassbender, perpetually pissed off and half-drunk, fits this role perfectly, and the quirky supporting characters around him add to the charm. Sure, there’s the obligatory feel-good moment at the end, but it’s handled within acceptable limits—70%. (02.01.2024)

When there's a new Taika Waititi film, I'm all in. This time, he's tackling a soccer-themed story, so I had to give it a shot. While it's often compared to Cool Runnings, I have to admit, Michael Fassbender isn’t quite John Candy, and it might not become a classic in the genre. That said, I laughed a lot throughout the film. It’s got Taika’s signature comedic touch, a lovely setting, and follows the beats you'd expect from a feel-good comedy. It's the kind of movie you want to watch to unwind and relax. Honestly, I could even see this working as a series, enjoying more time with these characters. Thanks to this film, the people of American Samoa have won a place in my heart. (13.03.2024)

Taika Waititi has his giant boom behind him, and I hope he realizes that his overly exaggerated humor doesn't entertain as many people, certainly not more than a well-told and serious story. Unfortunately, he also has his awkward cameo here, similar to Jojo Rabbit (not to mention Thor 4), where the beginning feels like it's from a completely different movie and the post-credits scene is just awkward in itself. The rest fortunately follows the established pattern (and the path trodden by Ted Lasso) more than decently, and considering how bad reviews Playing for Keeps received, I actually enjoyed it and was happy to see Michael Fassbender again, who I believe was suitably chosen for this role. It's still just a light above-average film that plays it too safe following the example of similarly themed sports films from twenty years ago, but nothing that I regret spending time on. (10.03.2024)