Category: Comedy

Soccer, football, and Fußball movies meant to be funny

Comedy

Bravo for ‘Las Bravas FC’ (2022)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date September 25, 2022

Las Bravas FC (2022)

It’s a shame that shows like Las Bravas F.C. get so little traction and attention in the world of futbol. It’s a cute, entertaining series that abounds with examples and themes of diversity, inclusion, and female footballer role models. Lead actor Mauricio Ochmann is a popular telenovela star with a charisma that echoes Ryan Reynolds and with an unnerving resemblance to Mikel Arteta. But I only came across this enjoyable series while scrolling through HBO Max. So I suggest you watch it while you can.

Tags HBOMax, Mexican, R8, Series, Spain

Comedy Romance

‘Jaadugar’ (2022) is a sweet rom-com sprinkled with football and magic

Post author By MJ-A
Post date July 30, 2022

Jaadugar (2022), Love Goals

Credit this film for its high quality and unusual story. Despite a lengthy 2 hours and 47 minutes, I did not check my watch while viewing Jaadugar (जादूगर). The story is well-shot and well-edited, and it deftly weaves together a tale of romantic comedy, football, and magic. In addition, I was entranced by the brilliant smile of its star, Jitendra Kumar, who plays Meenu, an extremely goal-oriented young man whose dreams are tied to the soccer pitch, but not in a way you expect.

Tags First-feature, Indian, Netflix, R8

Comedy

Where have you gone, ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 2 (2021)?

Post author By MJ-A
Post date October 22, 2021

Ted Lasso (2020)

The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso has had such a cultural impact, it calls for a separate review for its second season. Season One arrived as an antidote to a toxic presidency and a worldwide pandemic. Coach Ted Lasso was quoted from the pulpit of my local Presbyterian church, in whose congregation almost no one follows soccer.

Tags British, R8, Series, USA

Comedy

‘Rovers’ (2016) warm as toast before Ted Lasso

Post author By MJ-A
Post date October 3, 2021

Rovers (2016)

Rovers is a thoroughly enjoyable comic series that only ran one season for 6 episodes. Director and star Craig Cash has a history of comedic series and successes, and it’s a shame that this show didn’t run longer.

Tags British, fans, R8, Series

Comedy

‘Rembat’ (2015) funny the 2nd time around

Post author By MJ-A
Post date December 25, 2020

Rembat (2015)

The pandemic may have altered my sense of taste — in movies. When I first tried to watch Rembat 2 years ago, I could not finish it. It seemed so weird and nonsensical, and the actors kept spitting rice everywhere.

Tags Malaysia, R7

Comedy Drama

Review: ‘The Naked Man on the Sports Field’ (1974)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date October 15, 2020

The Naked Man on the Sports Field (1974)

Der nackte Mann auf dem Sportplatz is not really a soccer movie. This 1974 film from the East German director Konrad Wolf is about a sculptor (Kurt Böwe) in a small town, who gets a commission to create a monument for the local football stadium. Since the artist is fairly well known, the local authorities hope such a public artwork will help increase game attendance.

Tags German, R6

Comedy

‘Ted Lasso’ (2020) – loved the series, hated the ending

Post author By MJ-A
Post date October 6, 2020

Ted Lasso (2020)

There are so many reviews of this Apple TV+ original series, there isn’t much for me to add. Well, except for that bit about hating the ending. But let me start by saying Ted Lasso is one of few things that I can be thankful for this year, outside of my family and friends. This ensemble piece gives us characters that we care about and watch develop over 10 episodes. It’s almost heartbreaking that we have to wait until next year for season 2.

Tags British, R9, Series, USA

Comedy

The supporters are the best part of ’The Bromley Boys’ (2018)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date September 21, 2020

The Bromley Boys (2018)

As an American, I sometimes have a terrible time understanding British humor. The Bromley Boys is one such case. Which in this year of 2020 is quite sad, because I really need cheering up.** Having enjoyed the youtube series Seaside Town by Warren Dudley, I expected his screenplay for The Bromley Boys to be equally fun.

Tags British, fans, R5

Comedy

2 digits of excess in ‘Hello Mr Billionaire’ (2018)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date August 28, 2020

Hello Mr Billionaire (2018)

With a box office of $367M, Hello Mr Billionaire would be the most successful soccer movie yet. If it were really a soccer movie. But regardless, this comedy demonstrates the power of Chinese films in the Chinese market. In 2018, TheNumbers listed it at #27 worldwide, but if listed in the 2019 international BoxOfficeMojo ranking, Hello Mr Billionaire would be #25, right after Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Tags Chinese, R5

Comedy

70 year old ‘The Great Game’ (1953) makes a good pandemic escape

Post author By MJ-A
Post date July 29, 2020

The Great Game (1953)

The Great Game is a return to an innocent time and it makes — as Bill, Ted, or Wayne would say — a most excellent escape from the pandemic. It’s hard to believe the story is 70 years old, because it is almost timeless and still entertaining.

Tags British, R8

Comedy Drama

It’s better to pass than to try ‘Shooting for Socrates’ (2014)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date April 16, 2020

Shooting for Socrates (2014)

The problem with Shooting for Socrates is that the football is really a backdrop for writing a feel good story about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. And while sport as metaphor is the motivation for many soccer movies, in this case, the film doesn’t find its chemistry and feels like oil and water. Categorized as both drama and comedy, the film feels like neither.

Tags Irish, R5

Comedy Short

‘Nefta Football Club’ (2018) an Oscar nominee

Post author By MJ-A
Post date January 18, 2020

Nefta Football Club (2018)

Nefta Football Club stands out as being the second*** soccer movie to win an Oscar nomination (that I know of). Nominated in the 2020 Best Live Action Short Film category, Writer-Director Yves Piat has created a visually stunning and engaging short that leads to a whimsical but virtual punch line.

Tags French, R7

Comedy Short

Suffer life without football in ‘Beinball’ (2014)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date October 5, 2019

Beinball (2014)

What would life be like if there were no such thing as football or soccer? The amusing but dark short Beinball shows us what happens to a middle-aged office worker whose only joy is the beautiful game.

Tags Austria, R7

Comedy

‘Britt-Marie was Here’ (2019) solves problems

Post author By MJ-A
Post date October 2, 2019

Britt-Marie was Here (2019) - Britt-Marie var här

A light-hearted pleasant comedy, Britt-Marie was Here (Britt-Marie var här) is the tale of a 63 year old homemaker who has dedicated her life to being dutiful — cleaning, tidying, and completing to do lists that keep her house ultra organized. To her, baking soda solves all problems. The one problem it can’t solve is when she comes face-to-face with her stricken husband’s mistress at the side of his hospital bed.

Tags R6, Swedish, women director

Comedy

‘Diamantino’ (2018): A satire or just randomly disturbing?

Post author By MJ-A
Post date September 24, 2019

Diamantino (2018)

Great expectations make a heavy burden. After Diamantino’s smashing 2018 premiere at Cannes, I eagerly looked forward to it for over a year. It is now available to rent/purchase on iTunes and Amazon, but the typical football film and soccer movie fan may end up wanting to reverse the last 90 minutes of their lives.

Tags Portugal, R5, USA