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In 2001, the American Samoa soccer team gained notoriety by enduring a historically terrible loss, losing 31-0 to Australia. For the next decade, there was no notable progress despite the team’s efforts, until they brought on a foreign coach with his own challenges: Thomas Rongen, a Dutch-American with a troubled and fiery personality. His unofficial objective was to redeem American Samoa’s reputation by scoring at least one goal.
In 2014, Mike Brett and Steve Jamison created a popular and heartwarming documentary called “Next Goal Wins.” Some people may have thought it should be remade as a fictional comedy, while others disagreed. However, director Taika Waititi and co-writer Iain Morris went ahead with the remake and the end result is a broad, loving and often silly film. While it may not capture the unbelievable aspects of the original documentary, it still manages to be funny. Unfortunately, the sports comedy genre cannot fully address the tragic events that occurred in real life (but not acknowledging them would have been a mistake).
David Fane portrays the enthusiastic yet ineffective coach Ace, while the talented non-binary actor Kaimana plays the team’s transgender player Jaiyah. However, the most surprising casting decision in the film is Michael Fassbender as Rongen, an actor known for his intense and serious roles such as the killer in David Fincher’s The Killer. Fassbender may not have the comedic skills of Ricky Gervais or Chris O’Dowd, but as a dedicated and talented professional, he puts in the effort to create a successful comedic performance.
The performances of Elisabeth Moss and Will Arnett as Rongen’s ex-wife and her new partner are quite peculiar, adding a tonal uncertainty to the film – although the somber backstory was bound to present challenges for them. While the overall structure of the film may be a bit unpolished, it is still charming and has good intentions, with genuine moments of humor.
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Source: theguardian.com
