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www.eonline.com - : At one point in The Game of Their Lives, the story of the 1950 U.S. World Cup soccer team which defeated England in one of the greatest upsets in sports history, the veteran coach says with full conviction, ''Soccer is the next great American sport!'' Um, not so much. But that's how it goes in this film that succeeds only occasionally in drumming up drama and inspiration. Director David Anspaugh (who scored with Hoosiers and Rudy) is off his game here. Truly appreciating Lives requires a love of the sport (not so strong in the states) and ignoring what happened after. (After beating the Brits, the Americans were soon defeated and out of the competition.) But that's the thing about sports films, they only tell the happy stories. more...
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C+
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www.boston.com - : It's easy to see how indifferent this country is toward soccer when you look at the movies we have -- or haven't -- made about it. The ones that do exist tend to be rambunctious kiddie flicks front-loaded with funnymen and crotch kicks. It says everything about American movies' interest in the game when ''Fever Pitch,'' Nick Hornby's soccer-fan memoir, is made over as the story of a stark-raving Red Sox nut. more...
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Critic Reviews
