Bend It Like Beckham (2003)
01 Aug 2003 ● English ● 1 hr 52 mins
A kaleidoscope of color and culture clash humorously as an Indian family in London tries to raise their soccer-playing daughter in a traditional way. Unlike traditional elder sister Pinky, who is preparing for an Indian wedding and a lifetime of cooking the perfect chapatti, Jess' dream is to play soccer professionally like her hero David Beckham.
Completely opposed to Jess' unorthodox ambition, her parents eventually reveal that their reservations have more to do with protecting her than with holding her back. When Jess is forced to make a choice between tradition and her beloved sport, her family must decide whether to let her chase her dream...and a soccer ball.
Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra
Crew: Gurinder Chadha (Director), Lin Jong (Director of Photography), Craig Pruess (Music Director)
Rating: U (India)
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release Dates: 01 Aug 2003 (India)
Tagline: Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?
Did you know? Star Parminder Nagra was worried that the scar on her leg would prevent her from getting the role of Jess. Instead, the scar - and the story behind it - were worked into the script. Read More
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as Joe
as Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
as Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra
as Elderly Aunt
as Tony
as Mr. Bhamra
as Pinky Bhamra
as Teetu's Dad
as Alan Paxton
as Teetu's Mum
as Paula Paxton
as Wedding Guest
as Meena
as Sonny
as Taz
as Biji
Direction
Director
First Assistant Director
Second Unit Director
Second Assistant Director
Production
Producer
Production Company
Executive Producer
Associate Producer
Line Producer
Distribution
Distributor
Writers
Screenplay Writer
Camera and Electrical
Director of Photography
Music
Music Director
Editorial
Editor
Makeup and Hair
Hair Stylist
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
English
Spoken Languages:
German, Hindi, Punjabi
Colour Info:
Color
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1 (Flat)
Stereoscopy:
No
Taglines:
Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?
A winning comedy.
Don't call Them Chicks!
An Indian girl born to play soccer for England
Sometimes, to follow your dreams... you've got to bend the rules!
A winning comedy.
Don't call Them Chicks!
An Indian girl born to play soccer for England
Sometimes, to follow your dreams... you've got to bend the rules!
Filming Locations:
Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly, London, England
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England
London Heathrow Airport, London Borough of Hillingdon, London, England
Hamburg
The Broadway, Southall, Middlesex, England
Southall, Middlesex, England
Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Sutton Square, Heston, Hounslow, Middlesex, England
Yeading Football Club, Middlesex, England
Hotel Steigenberger, Hamburg
Bara Hall Park, Hayes, Middlesex, England
Contessa Lingerie Shop, Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Damini Store, Southall, Middlesex, England
Elbe River, Lower Saxony
Gunnersbury Park, London, England
Hounslow Central Underground Station, Hounslow, Middlesex, England
Hounslow, Middlesex, England
Molesey Football Club, Walton Road, West Molesey, Surrey, England
Soccer Scene, Carnaby Street, Soho, London, England
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England
London Heathrow Airport, London Borough of Hillingdon, London, England
Hamburg
The Broadway, Southall, Middlesex, England
Southall, Middlesex, England
Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Sutton Square, Heston, Hounslow, Middlesex, England
Yeading Football Club, Middlesex, England
Hotel Steigenberger, Hamburg
Bara Hall Park, Hayes, Middlesex, England
Contessa Lingerie Shop, Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Damini Store, Southall, Middlesex, England
Elbe River, Lower Saxony
Gunnersbury Park, London, England
Hounslow Central Underground Station, Hounslow, Middlesex, England
Hounslow, Middlesex, England
Molesey Football Club, Walton Road, West Molesey, Surrey, England
Soccer Scene, Carnaby Street, Soho, London, England
Goofs:
Crew/Equipment Visible
A crew member was in the back seat, rocking the car at the airport that Jess's sister and her fiance are supposed to be alone in. At one point you can see three heads pop up over the seat.
Revealing Mistakes
The speaker during the match which is supposed to be in Hamburg speaks German with an English accent and makes typical English errors (e.g. he says "... Elfmeter ausgeführt bei Nummer 7 Jess ..." instead of "... durch Nummer 7 ..." announcing the penalty)
Continuity
In the match where Jess and Jules aren't getting along, Jule's hair is held back by a metal headband, except in one close-up where it is held back by a thick, black headband. It then goes back to the metal headband. Then in the final game Jules is wearing the black headband again.
Continuity
When Jules is shown in the game (when she and Jess aren't getting along) after Jess scores, her jersey is inside out.
Continuity
At the very end when Jules and Jess are going to board the plane, they turn around and wave to their parents. Jules is at first shown waving with her right hand, but then in the next shot is seen waving with her left.
Character Error
When Jess takes the free kick at the end of the match the goalkeeper positions the wall then stands on the wrong side of the goal behind the wall making it easier for Jess to score.
Character Error
Jess's team, Hounslow Harriers, is playing Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in the final. A woman wearing a QPR scarf is sitting behind the Harriers' bench and is seen cheering after Jules and Jess score goals against QPR.
A crew member was in the back seat, rocking the car at the airport that Jess's sister and her fiance are supposed to be alone in. At one point you can see three heads pop up over the seat.
Revealing Mistakes
The speaker during the match which is supposed to be in Hamburg speaks German with an English accent and makes typical English errors (e.g. he says "... Elfmeter ausgeführt bei Nummer 7 Jess ..." instead of "... durch Nummer 7 ..." announcing the penalty)
Continuity
In the match where Jess and Jules aren't getting along, Jule's hair is held back by a metal headband, except in one close-up where it is held back by a thick, black headband. It then goes back to the metal headband. Then in the final game Jules is wearing the black headband again.
Continuity
When Jules is shown in the game (when she and Jess aren't getting along) after Jess scores, her jersey is inside out.
Continuity
At the very end when Jules and Jess are going to board the plane, they turn around and wave to their parents. Jules is at first shown waving with her right hand, but then in the next shot is seen waving with her left.
Character Error
When Jess takes the free kick at the end of the match the goalkeeper positions the wall then stands on the wrong side of the goal behind the wall making it easier for Jess to score.
Character Error
Jess's team, Hounslow Harriers, is playing Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in the final. A woman wearing a QPR scarf is sitting behind the Harriers' bench and is seen cheering after Jules and Jess score goals against QPR.
Trivia:
The director of the movie, Gurinder Chadha played three cameos in this movie: A wedding guest dressed in pink in the conga line; the younger of the two women that Jules and Jesminder jog past in the park; and at the party the night before the wedding she is in the circle of relatives clapping, wearing a blue suit.
By the end of the movie, Jess and Jules were originally supposed to become a lesbian couple, but the script was changed because it was considered too controversial.
Star Parminder Nagra was worried that the scar on her leg would prevent her from getting the role of Jess. Instead, the scar - and the story behind it - were worked into the script.
This was the first Western film allowed to be shown in North Korea.
Leaving behind established players like Luis Figo and Ronaldo, Parminder Nagra won the 2002 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)'s International Football Personality of the Year Presidential award, the first female to ever receive the honor.
Though their characters are roughly the same age, in reality there is a 10 year age gap between Parminder Nagra (b. 1975) and Keira Knightley (b. 1985).
Although football star David Beckham and the term "bend" are well-known in the U.K., they were virtually unknown in the U.S. As such, when the time came for the film's U.S release, 20th Century Fox marketing execs suggested changing the title to "Move it like Mia", alluding to U.S. football star Mia Hamm. Director Gurinder Chadha objected to the name change and the film was released with its original title.
By the end of the movie, Jess and Jules were originally supposed to become a lesbian couple, but the script was changed because it was considered too controversial.
Star Parminder Nagra was worried that the scar on her leg would prevent her from getting the role of Jess. Instead, the scar - and the story behind it - were worked into the script.
This was the first Western film allowed to be shown in North Korea.
Leaving behind established players like Luis Figo and Ronaldo, Parminder Nagra won the 2002 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)'s International Football Personality of the Year Presidential award, the first female to ever receive the honor.
Though their characters are roughly the same age, in reality there is a 10 year age gap between Parminder Nagra (b. 1975) and Keira Knightley (b. 1985).
Although football star David Beckham and the term "bend" are well-known in the U.K., they were virtually unknown in the U.S. As such, when the time came for the film's U.S release, 20th Century Fox marketing execs suggested changing the title to "Move it like Mia", alluding to U.S. football star Mia Hamm. Director Gurinder Chadha objected to the name change and the film was released with its original title.
