Getting a Kick Out of Pelé?
Rob Smyth: The Brazilian footballer has agreed to a film of his life. He may be a sporting genius but his story doesn't merit a movie
The sight of a tearful child being bawled at by one or both parents brings the inevitable thought: what chance does the kid have with parents like that? A not dissimilar thought might apply to the news that Pelé, Brazil's greatest footballer, has agreed to a new biopic. With genre genes like the football film and the sporting biopic, what chance does it have?
The history of football on film is certainly not a proud one. Depending on your viewpoint, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait was either a seductive and ingenious portrayal of a man at work or a fearfully dull extended player-cam session. Certainly it was not universally popular. On IMDB, for example, it has a modest user rating of 6.1/10, the same as such seismic works as Fantastic Four and, er, A Grandpa for Christmas.
Escape To Victory holds a place in the heart of film watchers of a certain age, but then so does Teen Wolf. The Kicks'n'Flicks season at a London cinema two years ago showed that the genre is not entirely without merit, but for the most part we are left with throwaway nonsense like Mike Bassett: England Manager, Bend It Like Beckham and Goal!, a film so modest that not even the presence of Anna Friel could redeem it.
It is hard to see Pelé's film changing things significantly. While undeniably a genius, he is far too clean to make for a compelling story. Football films are seriously hampered by the fact that their main area of the interest, the on-field action, cannot be convincingly replicated. A porn film that stops when the plumber arrives, leaving the rest to the imagination, wouldn't attract too many viewers.
To compensate, the story requires a genuinely compelling character. But unlike Diego Maradona and George Best, geniuses in the true, destructive sense, Pelé doesn't have much of a story arc. There were occasional setbacks ? most notably when he was brutally kicked out of the 1966 World Cup ? but essentially it is a very straightforward story: I was born, I was a football genius, I eulogized Nicky Butt, I advertised Viagra but not because I had erectile problems myself honest, The End.
Perhaps to overcome the problem, and given the success of his recent Nike ad, Guy Ritchie should be asked to direct. If nothing else, it'd be interesting to see how he finds a role for Vinnie Jones in this one.
The history of football on film is certainly not a proud one. Depending on your viewpoint, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait was either a seductive and ingenious portrayal of a man at work or a fearfully dull extended player-cam session. Certainly it was not universally popular. On IMDB, for example, it has a modest user rating of 6.1/10, the same as such seismic works as Fantastic Four and, er, A Grandpa for Christmas.
Escape To Victory holds a place in the heart of film watchers of a certain age, but then so does Teen Wolf. The Kicks'n'Flicks season at a London cinema two years ago showed that the genre is not entirely without merit, but for the most part we are left with throwaway nonsense like Mike Bassett: England Manager, Bend It Like Beckham and Goal!, a film so modest that not even the presence of Anna Friel could redeem it.
It is hard to see Pelé's film changing things significantly. While undeniably a genius, he is far too clean to make for a compelling story. Football films are seriously hampered by the fact that their main area of the interest, the on-field action, cannot be convincingly replicated. A porn film that stops when the plumber arrives, leaving the rest to the imagination, wouldn't attract too many viewers.
To compensate, the story requires a genuinely compelling character. But unlike Diego Maradona and George Best, geniuses in the true, destructive sense, Pelé doesn't have much of a story arc. There were occasional setbacks ? most notably when he was brutally kicked out of the 1966 World Cup ? but essentially it is a very straightforward story: I was born, I was a football genius, I eulogized Nicky Butt, I advertised Viagra but not because I had erectile problems myself honest, The End.
Perhaps to overcome the problem, and given the success of his recent Nike ad, Guy Ritchie should be asked to direct. If nothing else, it'd be interesting to see how he finds a role for Vinnie Jones in this one.
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