I finally saw Bend It Like Beckham. I took the kids, along with a friend of theirs and her mother. I had hoped to take my ESL class to see it (they would have loved it) but it didn't work out. At least I saw it in a theatre. However, it was a bit hard to concentrate as there was a group of 10 girls around 7-8 years old sitting in front of us who were unbelievably ill-mannered. They were clearly too young (my girls, on the other hand, got most of the gay jokes) and were bored. They spent the movie going to the bathroom, arguing over snacks, and playing some kind of gameboy-type thing. We were all incredibly irritated.

But on to the movie: we loved it. Parminder K. Nagra (Jess) was lovely. I know, everyone's hot for Keira Knightly (Jules), but I'll take Parminder any day. Keira needs to put on a few pounds. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was very sexy as the coach, Joe, and all other characters were also great. My favourite was Jess's best friend, Tony (Ameet Chana). The look on his face when he sees Beckham is priceless, and easy to miss if you're not paying attention.

Oh yeah, reviews are supposed to summarize the plot, but I hate plot spoilers more than anything, so all I'll say is it's a pretty tried and tree plot of a young person seeking to fulfill her dreams despite parental/cultural disapproval. It's been done a million times, but it's well done here. Lots of laughs, lots of poignant moments, lots of chances to cheer. Sure, the final shots are a little over-the-top-feel-good, but hey, that's okay sometimes.

Another great East/West culture clash movie is The Guru, though this one is definitely not for kids. I loved the "Bollywood" stuff, which is one thing Bend It Like Beckham lacks. I know that's not what this film was aiming for, but there were moments when it would have been great (perhaps at the end?).

So, see Bend It Like Beckham, see The Guru (without the kids).