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Next Goal Wins

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02:11

Next Goal Wins

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• Comedy
• Sport

• 2023
• Taika Waititi
• 103 mins
• 12A

Summary

Dutch coach Thomas Rongen takes on the daunting challenge of transforming American Samoa's soccer team from serial underdogs into winners. Director Taika Waititi's comedy, starring Michael Fassbender and Oscar Kightley

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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Terry Staunton

The true story of the American Samoa national football team, famously placed last in the world rankings, is dramatised with a light touch in this charming if unexceptional comedy. Michael Fassbender stars as the journeyman Dutch-American soccer coach striving to improve results following a record 31-0 defeat in 2001. Director Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) and co-writer Iain Morris (co-creator of TV's The Inbetweeners) work from the template of the award-winning 2014 documentary of the same title, fleshing out the main players and adding slapstick and set pieces to make the tale a more conventional chuckle-fest. It lacks the heart of the source material, and focuses too much on Fassbender as a fish-out-of-water, at the expense of screen time for the hapless semi-pro footballers' own back stories. However, the film gamely ticks several boxes viewers have come to expect from against-the-odds sports movies.

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6.5/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Channel 4
• Disney+
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameThomas RongenMichael FassbenderTavitaOscar KnightleyJaiyah SaeluaKaimana AceDavid FaneRuthRachel HouseAlex MagnussenWill ArnettGailElisabeth MossNicky SalapuUli Latukefu

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Crew

rolenameDirectorTaika Waititi

Details

Theatrical distributor

Disney

Released on

2023-12-26

Languages

English | Swahili | Samoan | French

Guidance

Swearing, sexual references.

Formats

Colour

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