Goal!

Director Danny Cannon pays his respects to the beautiful game in this flimsy but feel-good football drama. Penned by the accomplished duo of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it's a fist-pumping male fantasy that bursts with heart and humour. In the first part of a planned trilogy, an insipid Kuno Becker plays the talented Mexican immigrant who swaps the sunshine of LA for rainy northern England when he's given the chance to try out for Premiership team Newcastle United. The strength-through-adversity storyline that follows is formula-driven fluff, built on clichés and unrealistic wish fulfilment. Yet for all its daftness and predictability, this remains solidly entertaining, even down to the on-pitch action with its blend of genuine match footage and actor inserts. Sporting in-jokes and cameos from the likes of David Beckham lift the mood further, although it's Alessandro Nivola's charismatic turn as a hard-partying celebrity striker that ultimately makes the film.