Calling all Netflix users! The iconic sports drama, Bend It Like Beckham, has been added to the streaming platform’s collection of films.
The 2002 movie, starring Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, has been hailed as a “masterpiece” by viewers.
HELLO!’s Deputy Online Editor, Sharnaz Shahid, is a massive fan of the comedy-drama, which she says is one of her “all-time favourite films”.
“It’s the only movie I’ve ever paid to see four times in the cinema!” Sharnaz said, adding that the soundtrack is “absolutely brilliant and packed with nostalgia,” while the film was “a game-changer for how women’s sport, especially football, was portrayed on screen. It inspired a generation.”
Find out more about the movie below.
What is Bend It Like Beckham about?
The film follows 18-year-old Jess Bhamra, who dreams of becoming a professional football player, despite the hopes of her traditional Punjabi parents for her to marry a suitable husband and get a job as a lawyer.
© Alamy Stock PhotoA synopsis from Searchlight reads: “A kaleidoscope of colour and culture clash humorously as an Indian family in London tries to raise their soccer-playing daughter in a traditional way. Unlike tarty elder sister Pinky, who is preparing for an Indian wedding and a lifetime of cooking the perfect chapatti, Jess’ dream is to play soccer professionally like her hero David Beckham. Wholeheartedly against Jess’ unorthodox ambition, her parents eventually reveal that their reservations have more to do with protecting her than with holding her back. When Jess is forced to make a choice between tradition and her beloved sport, her family must decide whether to let her chase her dream…and a soccer ball.”
Parminder Nagra leads the cast as Jess, starring alongside Keira Knightley as Juliette and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Joe.
© Film Council / Lions GateWhat have viewers said about Bend It Like Beckham?
The beloved sports film, which holds an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 85 per cent, has been hailed as a “masterpiece” by viewers.
One person wrote online: “I love this movie just as much as I did when it came out 22 years ago. It’s such a feel-good film, and it always makes me smile. One of my favourite films.”
© Film Council / Lions GateA second fan penned: “Loved this movie! It was inspiring and I loved every minute of it! I would watch it again and again,” while another added: “Watched it when I was little, enjoyed it back then. But, revisited this masterpiece yesterday, and I think it’s fair to say, having watched it all, it’s arguably the greatest movie ever made. A film ahead of its time.”
Bend It Like Beckham is available to stream on Netflix now.
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