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Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives (2025) - Ogni Maledetto Fantacalcio

Review: ‘Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives’ (2025)

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by

MJ-A
in

Ogni Maledetto Fantacalcio is an Italian farce centered around the players of an online game of fantasy football (fantacalcio). Director Alessio Maria Federici is a devotee of the game and an admirer of The Hangover trilogy, and so we get the best and the worst of both.

In the story

In the story, a group of long-time fantasy football players have a night of debauchery at the bachelor party for their leader Gianni (Enrico Borello). The next morning, Gianni is a no-show at his wedding, is presumed dead, and a judge investigates. None of the friends can remember what happened at Gianni’s party, and the chief suspect is Simone (Giacomo Ferrara), his best friend since childhood.

The judge (Caterina Guzzanti) knows nothing about Fantacalcio, but to interview the players and look for criminal motivation, she has to learn the passions and culture around the game. The players’ stories are convoluted; it’s like interrogating children, because although these players are in their 30s, for the most part they suffer from arrested development.

The judge’s questioning of the 7 men and the recently added female Andrea (Silvia D’Amico) weaves the backstories of the group into a tapestry of shortcomings and relationships that are cemented by playing the game. Gradually the questioning and a security recording piece together what happened and why, and then the group runs off to find the missing Gianni.

The Soccer

Except for a little kickabout during the bachelor party, there is no soccer in the film. But the Fantacalcisti embody so much fandom and passion for the footballers they manage, swap and trade, that you will feel like you watched football with this fun-loving group.

A few real footballers are included in the story, such as Leonardo Pavoletti. One of the funniest lines in the movie is when one of the players discovers his wife is sleeping with Pavoletti, asks for a selfie, and then runs out screaming, “I touched Pavoletti!”. I’m sure that’s based on a true story. 😀

What means Ogni Maledetto Fantacalcio

I asked my good friend Don Gabriele Falvo what does the Italian title really mean? He had some trouble communicating the answer, because the literal translation is ‘every damned fantasy football’. Which left me hanging. Falvo said it implied something like ruining one’s life, and finally he came up with:

“This GD fantasy football is breaking the balls.”

Fantasy Football and this film

Although the film injects a little tutorial about the game of fantasy football, I had trouble understanding what was going on or if these friends were playing just amongst each other or against other teams. I even tried reading a couple of tutorials on fantasy football, but I gave up on understanding the auction. I settled for this simple explanation from N26:

Participants (fantasy coaches) create imaginary teams in a leaderboard whose scores are then calculated based on the performance ratings of individual athletes. 

Fantacalcio started in 1990, first as a paper newspaper game and then as an internet sensation. Supposedly 6 million people play Fantacalcio, and the company helped sponsor this film, which was produced by QMI, a  branding media company in Italy.

Fantasy football is also big in the UK, and in the USA there are fantasy leagues for NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS. While the film shows us how the game can go from hobby to useless obsession, people can make careers of playing fantasy football and games like Football Manager.

In Conclusion

When writing these reviews, I enjoy learning about other cultures. I had no familiarity with fantasy football, and even though I still don’t understand the game, I could empathize with the passion it generates.

I also enjoyed the story and its many comedic moments. Director Federici says we are all losers, and losers find joy by seeing other people lose. Maybe that’s what makes us laugh when we watch people comically fail. The official ending fell a little flat for me, but if you watch all the credits, the scenes therein conclude with an ending that satisfied me.

My only issue with the film was with the portrayal of women. The creators try to be better — a little. For example, Andrea beats out other applicants to join the team, as she has an extensive knowledge of football. The team agonizes that its choices are like for Americans, who had to choose between a woman and a psychopath. They choose Andrea, but she turns out to be a meaningless slut.

The bachelor party scene is also a little embarrassing for me, as a female, to watch. The film industry is rebounding from #MeToo with renewed vigor for the dehumanizing objectification of women such as in Enora, a film I found absolutely abhorrent. So I’m compelled to protest when this happens. But for an Italian film, this movie is actually a step forward because it’s less objectifying than most, sadly speaking…

7 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 7

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