Taglines: Don’t call Them Chicks.
Bend It Like Beckham movie storyline. Teen-aged Londoner Jesminder Bhamra – Jess for short – is fanatical about football. She even uses a poster of her idol, footballer David Beckham, as her confidante. Although she only plays in pick-up games in the park with her male friends, she is naturally gifted at it. She’s spotted by Juliette Paxton – Jules for short – who plays in a local women’s league, and who talks Jess into coming to try out for her team.
Jules has aspirations of playing in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) professional league in the United States. Playing organized sports goes against Jess’ traditional Punjabi parents’ wants for her – especially her mother’s – which are to go to law school and to learn how to cook Punjabi food so that she can attract a nice Punjabi husband. But Jess is determined to play on Jules’ team regardless of her parents.
Jess sees Jules as having the perfect situation, not realizing that Jules also has a mother who doesn’t want her daughter to focus so much attention on football, but for slightly different reasons. The team’s compassionate and sympathetic coach Joe tries to help Jess overcome any of these obstacles in whatever way he can.
Jess has to try and reconcile these two aspects of her life, especially in the lead up to the final game at which an American scout will be in attendance who may be able to get both Jules and Jess one step closer to playing in the WUSA league if he likes what he sees. The game also unfortunately coincides with the rescheduled wedding of Jess’ sister.
Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 British comedy-drama sports film produced, written, and directed by Gurinder Chadha, and starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis, and Archie Panjabi. The film’s title refers to the football player David Beckham, and his skill at scoring from free kicks by curling the ball past a wall of defenders. It follows the 18-year-old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs in London. She is infatuated with football but her parents have forbidden her to play because she is a girl. She joins a local women’s team, which makes its way to the top of the league.
Bend It Like Beckham was released theatrically on 12 April 2002 by Redbus Film Distribution, and on DVD and VHS on 18 November 2002 by Warner Home Video. The film surprised critics and was met with mostly positive reviews and it earned over $76 million on a $6 million budget. A stage musical version opened at London’s Phoenix Theatre on 24 June 2015.
Gurinder Chadha co wrote the script with Guljit Bindra, and screenwriting partner Paul Mayeda Berges. Nayar and Chadha actively pursed financing for the film at Sundance Film Festival. Having previously worked with Road Movies, a German production company, on several other projects, Nayar approached them and they came on board, followed by British Screen and The Film Council. Helkon SK, formerly known as Redbus, picked up the script. Fox Searchlight Pictures picked up the rights for distribution in the United States at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002.
Principal photography began on 18 June 2001. A variety of locations around London and Shepperton Studios were used for the nine-week shoot, with the semi final taking place over a three-day period in Hamburg, Germany.
Chadha, who played an active role in casting, chose Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, who would play the two lead roles in the film, while Archie Panjabi and Jonathan Rhys Meyers were in early talks to join the cast. Shaznay Lewis and Anupam Kher were also in final talks to join the film. Juliet Stevenson and Frank Harper joined the cast of the film, playing Paula Paxton and Alan Paxton, mother and father of Jules.
For the role of Jess’ mother, Mrs. Bhamra, Chadha turned to Shaheen Khan, whom she had previously cast in Bhaji on the Beach. Anupam Kher, a Bollywood actor, was cast as Mr. Bhamra, Jess’ father. Chadha worked with The Football Association and ended up casting actual players from a variety of school teams.
Bend It Like Beckham (2003)
Directed by: Gurinder Chadha
Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi, Shaznay Lewis, Frank Harper, Juliet Stevenson, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly
Screenplay by: Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, Guljit Bindra
Production Design by: Nick Ellis
Cinematography by: Jong Lin
Film Editing by: Justin Krish
Costume Design by: Ralph Wheeler-Holes
Set Decoration by: Sara Neighbour
Art Direction by: Mark Scruton
Makeup Department: Sarah Astley, Emma Cowen
Music by: Craig Pruess
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and sexual content.
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: August 1, 2003
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