Reviews of soccer movies and football films
Soccer movie or football film that is largely about Liverpool FC, its fans, players, or managers
89 is Director Dave Stewart’s ode to the 1988-89 season and final game in which Arsenal won the Premier League title. Interspersing player, manager, and fan interviews with beaucoup game footage, 89 is exciting and well put together. But at the same time, I had to ask myself if this documentary is tone deaf.
Continue reading “Is the film ’89’ (2017) tone deaf?”
Football was the only way out of working in the coal mines. Bill Shankly was the youngest of 5 brothers (10 kids) who all became footballers for Glenbuck Cherrypickers. Over 40 years, 53 young men in Glenbuck (pop 1,000) became footballers, and 7 played for Scotland.
Continue reading “‘Making Shankly’ (2017): the mines were the real football factory”
You don’t need to be a Liverpool fan to love Make Us Dream. But by the end of it, you may want to become an LFC supporter. Because Writer-Director Sam Blair brilliantly crafts the tale of Steven Gerrard so that his pain, his mission, and his love for club and city bind to your heart. When you watch this film, you believe the club is the man, and the man is the club.
Continue reading “‘Make Us Dream’ (2018) – the price of giving your all”
Many congratulations to Liverpool FC and their fans for making it back to the Champions League Final in 2018. It makes a great time to enjoy football feature films about Liverpool FC: Reds and Blues, Will, Hillsborough, and now, One Night in Istanbul. There are more I haven’t seen!
Continue reading “‘One Night in Istanbul’ (2014) – another funny film about LFC”
Reds & Blues: The Ballad of Dixie & Kenny is a football farce about 2 sets of ardent fans who live next door to each other in Merseyside. One neighbor supports Everton (Blues), while the other supports Liverpool (Reds).
Continue reading “Fan is short for fanatic in ‘Reds & Blues’ (2010)”
Within the short list of soccer films directed by women, there is a surprising number of Americans who have directed ostensibly British films. Will is just such a case. Americans Ellen Perry (Director) and Zack Anderson (Writer) have created a family film drama around Liverpool FC.
Continue reading “In ‘Will’ (2011) a child learns you never walk alone”
It’s fitting to review the ESPN film Hillsborough today, the 26th anniversary of the April 15, 1989 soccer stadium disaster where 96 Liverpool fans died from suffocation and crush injuries.
Director Dan Gordon is especially emotionally invested in this film because Hillsborough was his team’s home stadium, and he could easily have been one of the young people inside.
Continue reading “The horror and coverup of ‘Hillsborough’ (2014)”