Studs is an Irish soccer comedy with a good performance from Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter’s Professor MadEye Moody). Gleeson plays a mysterious manager whose seeming identity inspires a ragtag Sunday team to a Cup final. But the downer ending left me very ambivalent.
Then, I discovered that Studs was originally a stage play produced in 1986! In 2002, Paul Mercier’s play was revived, and he was funded to turn it into a film. Being a Sunday player himself — along with most of the actors — the film is an homage to that level of play, and the soccer is quite authentic.
But the story doesn’t quite pull together, maybe because even after 20 years, its theatrical heritage wants the viewers to fill in the gaps with their own conclusions.
But hell, that’s too deep for me. I’m a shallow American viewer. I just want to be entertained.
In English, but I couldn’t quite understand all the dialog, and unfortunately no subtitles are available.
4 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 4
Resources:
- Release Date: 2006-03-17 (Ireland)
- IMDB
- Director: Paul Mercier
- Stars: Brendan Gleeson
- Watch the Trailer
