‘Bend It Like Beckham’ is this year’s ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’ It’s about a girl growing up in a very ethnic family, and how she struggles to honor her roots and yet find some independence. She’s not perfect, but she’s likable because she’s so passionate. And she tries so hard. And while she cannot bend the world to her point of view, she can at least decide what to embrace and what to refrain from embracing (Ecclesiastes 3), and in the process discover something of who she is.
There are several refreshing elements to this film for the American moviegoer. First, it does not adhere to some of the silly Hollywood rules about what is glamorous. The lead character, ‘Jess’ Bhamra (Parminder K. Nagra), is neither tall nor skinny nor blonde nor blue-eyed; though her friend, Jules Paxton (Keira Knightly), is all those things. What the two girls have in common is a gift for soccer. Jess has just been playing ‘football’ with (guy) friends in the public park near her house. Jules is playing on a women’s team. When she spots Jess’ skill, she invites Jess to be on the women’s team, as well. The coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), is skeptical until he sees Jess play. And then he is ecstatic. And so is she, because she didn’t realize how good she was until now.
But her parents are not ecstatic. They don’t care how good she is at a silly children’s game. She’s a big girl now, and it’s time to put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13) and concentrate on being a woman of dignity, which means a discreet manner of dress. After all, her big sister’s getting married, and isn’t that what’s it’s all about? Isn’t it about time she met a nice Indian boy?
It’s interesting, from an American point of view, to watch the subtleties of British race relations unfold. Jess’ father (Anupan Kher), still remembers vividly the discrimination he suffered because he was good at cricket, but in his day the English would not consider playing with someone of his color. That at least gives him some identification with the athleticism obviously residing in his daughter. But the girl’s mother is such a traditionalist, and fervently wants her younger daughter to learn to cook their native food, and not to be so captive to the Anglo culture.
Jules has her own troubles at home. Her mom, Paula (Juliet Stevenson, who almost steals the show), also wishes that her daughter would simply go date boys like the other normal girls. She even deludes herself into thinking that her daughter’s interest in Jess may not be entirely platonic, when the two girls are actually rivals for the attention of their male coach. After much anguish and soul-searching, she finally makes some strides toward accepting her daughter as she is.
‘Bend It Like Beckham’ includes many winsome elements that add up to a satisfying viewing experience. The families represented are models of love and support, in part because they are determined to resolve conflict without any resulting estrangement. Beckham, the English soccer hero, is the idol of several of the characters, and even makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film, as if acknowledging the great impact he has on untold legions of fans. The soccer skill exhibited here appears to be quite genuine. And the native dress, especially at the festive wedding dance, dazzles with its bright colors.
‘Bend It Like Beckham’ is sincere about its theme of allowing people, especially children, to discover their own identities. But it’s much more complex than ‘Be all you can be.’ The characters in this movie understand that they are in context, not only of people around them but ancestors who have preceded them, and a culture which has included them. There are many in the world today who consider those things to be valuable luxuries not to be taken for granted.
