Next Goal Wins, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Football losers want to be winners and a slacker falls in love
Image Credit: Searchlight Pictures
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, where I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, Taika Waititi tells a true sports tale and Scott Pilgrim gets animated. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite and Threads/Instagram: @jammerwhite
Despite his big success with Marvel and his previous indie movie gems, Taika Waititi can sometimes be an acquired taste. If you click with his particular comedy rhythms, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in his work, as I always have. His Thor films, meanwhile, have been mixed bags –– Ragnarok is a triumph, while Love And Thunder didn’t work as well (though I enjoyed it).
Next Goal Wins finds him back more in territory he trod with Hunt For The Wilderpeople and What We Do In The Shadows, though it doesn’t quite match up to either.
It’s the story of American Samoa’s football team, who famously lost 31-0 to Australia in the 2001 World Cup qualifiers. A laughingstock in the sports world, they were seeking redemption –– or at least to score one goal. To that end, they hired Thomas Rongen, who himself needed a little rehabilitation. Washed up and bristling with anger issues, the job of coaching the American Samoa team to victory (or, you know, that solitary goal), he reluctantly agreed.
In Waititi’s hands, it’s a feelgood story of embracing the need for fun and family, with Michael Fassbender as Rongen (who is great in the role, relishing the chance to prove his comedy chops) and a host of interesting performers as the natives, from the team (led by Kaimana’s transgender player Jaiyah) to the overly enthusiastic president of the local Football Association Tavita (Oscar Kightley), who also happens to be a restauranteur and cameraman for the tiny TV channel that interview notable people getting off the planes at the airport.
Cannily focusing mostly on Rongen’s story and the team’s, Waititi finds a lot of both comedy value and heart in the tale (I won’t spoil what happens, even though the film is based on the 2014 documentary, also called Next Goal Wins and the events are a matter of history) and while there are a fair number of predictable moments, there’s more than enough genuine entertainment to be found here.
It might not totally score, but Next Goal Wins at least has fun on its way up the pitch.
Next Goal Wins is in US cinemas from today and arrives in the UK on 26 December.
Image Credit: Netflix
While Waititi’s latest is a hit-or-miss affair, the new adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series is an unalloyed triumph.
O’Malley, here working with BenDavid Grabinski, brings his creation to screens 13 years since Edgar Wright’s movie version. I am a huge fan of Wright’s film, which was an enormously stylish and fun take on the tale, even if it suffered unfairly at the box office. One of my favourite moments in my career attending Comic-Con as a journalist was the panel for the film, followed by the screening and a concert by Metric, one of the bands who contributed to the soundtrack.
But while live-action can only do so much, this new animated telling is a revelation. Instead of simply re-treading the same old story ground, this takes a bold new direction (one which is much better experienced than explained).
Adding to the value is the voice cast –– which comprises the entire movie roster back to play their roles. But again, while the characters are entirely recognizable, they’re all used in interesting, fresh ways.
This is still the story of slacker Toronto native Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), who falls hard for the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). She’s literally the girl of his dreams, rollerblading through his unconscious mind because it happens to be a hyperspace highway she uses in her gig as a delivery worker.
A lot about Scott Pilgrim’s world is like that –– this is a blend of rom-coms, video games (people get into game-style fights, usually over romantic partners), music and movies, and the latest medium allows the writers to truly channel the pop culture blend of the books, exploring and expanding it in fascinating ways.
This means we get packs of ninja paparazzi chasing after smug movie star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), or characters battling through the settings of movies available in a video rental store.
If you love any previous version of Scott Pilgrim or have never heard of it before, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is the perfect introduction (or reintroduction). It’s among the most audacious shows to hit the screen this year, and will hopefully enjoy more eyes on it than the movie. And hopefully, it’ll encourage more people to check out Edgar Wright’s big-screen outing.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is on Netflix now. I’ve seen the whole season.