Next Goal Wins

Even though I can still relate to Taika Waititi's humor, it has lost some of its appeal. After all, the jokes aren't really that varied. In "Next Goal Wins", the humor is squeezed into a rather generic sports film formula. The characters work quite well overall, but they did not elicit strong emotional responses from me. The predictable emotional climax, in particular, left me rather cold. Nevertheless, I didn't regret going to the movies; for fans of the director, it's still an enjoyable experience.

Like the word 'good': it means well but doesn't go hard enough. This underdog sports flick about soccer qualifications in American Samoa feels like a remake of Cool Runnings. Waititi gives the film charm and a couple laugh-out-loud moments, but if the movie were a soccer team it wouldn't get past the group stage. The movie does, however, make me want to watch the 2014 documentary about the American Samoan team, also called 'Next Goal Wins '. The best part of this film, though, is absolutely the focus on Jaiyah Saelua, a faʻafafine (Polynesian term for a person of a third gender) who was the first non-binary and trans woman athlete to compete in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. She is played by Kaimana, a Samoan faʻafafine who makes me wish I were years younger so I could dream of taking her to dinner. :heart_eyes: