Goal II: Living the Dream

[KLAXXON]

“Cometh the moment, cometh the man.”

I’ll be brutally honest, before this movie even had a chance to glimmer from its shinny casing I was rolling the eyes. I’m really not a football fan, never have been. My understanding is that we have a few of those already in England, it’s not like I’m letting the side down. So immediately this movie had its work cut out and much like my first taste of candy floss, I just didn’t want to like it… but I kinda did.

Steady on though; I’m not saying I’m going to start wearing brightly coloured scarfs or brandishing dedicated tattoos, it just means that I think they cleverly managed to give the story a bit of a priority as well as the game. If this had been merely a football match wrapped up in a prestigious bow then I would not have watched passed the first half hour. But it seems they have paid some attention to the people who aren’t die hard football enthusiasts and so despite being slightly predictable it did manage to win me over.

The film pretty much picks things up where the last one left off. After helping Newcastle reach a Champions League qualifying spot in the first movie we are now at the beginning of the 2005/2006 season and with his talent only growing and his enthusiasm evident in every game he plays Santiago attracts the interest of Real Madrid and he signs with them in a swap deal involving Michael Owen.

Still friends with his old striking partner Gavin Harris (Nivola) life just seems to be getting better and better for Santi, but with all the parties and stardom he begins to forget about some of the more important things in life and expectedly the cracks in his supposedly perfect adventure starts to appear.

What this film does do quite well is give you a taste of what it might be like to achieve that ultimate footballers dream. Santiago Munez, (Kuno Becker) our lead character actually succeeds in giving us a first hand look at the some of the trails, the press coverage, the media interest, the high-status party invitations, the dedication from fans and the overwhelming feeling of coming from nothing to being an internationally recognised sportsman.

Even though the football playing aspect didn’t interest me much there were some other things to keep my excitement up, his fiancée Roz (Anna Friel) for example and fans of the series will be happy to hear that the cast and crew are already busy on the third instalment and we should be getting it some time next year. This is a no-brainer for football fans, and for others this is simply a much closer look at England best loved sport.





The second chapter of the Fifa-sponsored global football saga carries on exactly as the first film, with a lively visual style, the integrated presence of top players and a story that wallows in clichés.
After playing for 18 months in Newcastle, our hero Santi Muñez is poached by the even bigger leagues, namely Real Madrid and Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo, Raul and Santi's old pal Harris (Nivola). His fiancée Roz (Friel) is less than thrilled at uprooting their life. And she's not even thinking about the temptations of fame and wealth that lie ahead. Of course, it's not smooth sailing for Santi, his manager (Dillane) and the gruff team coach (Hauer). Santi has lessons to learn, and a long-lost mother (Peña) to find.

Even though the story is thoroughly contrived and badly sanitised, it's intriguing to watch and well-played by the engaging cast. Becker pulls off the transformation from scruffy rookie to swaggering celebrity nicely, and juggles the various plotlines well--romance, personal drama, career politics, and so on. He's so likeable that we're willing to accept the simplistic story threads and clunky dialog. Other cast members struggle--Dillane with the moralising speeches, Friel with the faux emoting. Although Hauer has the coach's glower down pat.

Spanish director Collet-Serra (House of Wax) gives the film a driving energy and a lush visual tone, although the football scenes feel far too heavily edited and digitally tampered with--several of them are both implausible and incoherent. And while it once again feels like a gigantic advert for football and, this time, Spanish tourism, at least the entire film pulsates with energy.

Where the first chapter examined rags-to-riches stardom, this one looks at the stresses and challenges of celebrity as Santi disappoints his coach, his manager, his girlfriend, his family, himself. The rollercoaster structure feels completely fake, right down to a ludicrous car chase. But there are some very nice scenes along the way, most notably when Santi meets his mother, and also some thrilling football action. It also sets us up well for the World Cup in Part 3.


























Kuno Becker ...  Santiago Muñez
Stephen Dillane ...  Glen Foy
Anna Friel ...  Roz Harmison
Leonor Varela ...  Jordana Garcia
Elizabeth Peña ...  Rosa Maria
Carmelo Gómez ...  Burruchaga
Miriam Colon ...  Mercedes
Frances Barber ...  Carol Harmison
William Beck ...  Steve Parr
Kieran O'Brien ...  Hughie McGowan
Sean Pertwee ...  Barry Rankin
Rutger Hauer ...  Rudi van der Merwe
Alessandro Nivola ...  Gavin Harris
Iker Casillas ...  Himself
Iván Helguera ...  Himself



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