Pros: This film features a prominent transgender character: Jaiyah (Kaimana) who clashes with coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) from the very start. While somewhat square, this film is nonetheless worth watching as it tells a story that deserves to be told. Dubbed the bad boy of soccer and dealing with an unspeakable grief, Thomas is fired from his job in the US and forced to either face unemployment or journey to American Samoa to coach that team who rank as the worst team on Earth. But they have the support of the entire island country and while Thomas doesn't understand the customs of the island, including stopping daily to pray and attend church each Sunday but he does learn and also gets the team to utilize their skills and come together as a team and yes, they do eventually score a goal, two actually to win the game.
Cons: There's not really a true con, though the only plot twist is a tragic one and I just feel that the film wasn't suspenseful enough for the final game. And I honestly thought it could have benefitted from being a bit longer, to allow for more character development. And Sia's song Chandelier wasn't around until a few years after the film took place as the film was set in 2011.
Recommend: Yes
Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Elisabeth Moss is Thomas's estranged wife but she's wasted in the film. Ditto for Will Arnett.
-The film was filmed in late 2019 and only just now was finally released.
-This is also the second time Elisabeth Moss has had an onscreen daughter named Nicole, the first being in The Handmaid's Tale.
-It is unclear if Michael Fassbender's character is supposed to be British as he does speak with an American accent.
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