STORYLINE: Story of the American Samoa soccer team, who suffered the worst loss in World Cup history, losing to Australia 31-0 in 2001. With the 2014 World Cup approaching, the team recruits a down on his luck, maverick coach (Fassbender) to help turn their fate around.

     When I sat down to watch Next Goal Wins my expectation was that this true sports story was going to be in line with Cool Runnings and Eddie the Eagle.  To a degree that is what I got in this movie that is a crossover of Ted Lasso and The Mighty Ducks.  Next Goal Wins doesn’t quite have the same amount of charm that Cool Runnings and Eddie the Eagle had but is on the same cinematic tree.

     There were times, that, if this was not a true story my interest in the film would have completely been lost in the film.  I will not give spoilers in the film but it there are parts that would have been created for a fiction film to intentionally pull at the heart strings and others make you stand up and up and cheer.  

    How they told some of these moments were done well, which was a nice change.

     Director Taika Waititi has done a variety of interesting work that I have enjoyed over the years including the films What We Do in the Shadows, The Hunt for the Wilderpeiple, and Jojo Rabbit.  Of course his two MCU films, Thor Ragnarok and Thor Love and Thunder were not good films, the ladder more so.

      Until next time I will see you at the movies!