Film Review – Next Goal Wins

It probably won’t happen, but there should be a book written about the making of “Next Goal Wins.” The production history of this thing is too strange, with principal photography beginning four years ago, finding director Taika Waititi riding on the success of 2018’s “Jojo Rabbit,” returning to duty for a low-budget underdog sports film about the efforts of the American Samoa soccer team and their quest to actually score a single goal during a game after suffering many humiliations. For reasons unknown, Waititi walked away from the movie for a long time, eventually completing “Thor: Love and Thunder” in 2022, returning to “Next Goal Wins” years after he started making it. It’s a tale of temporary abandonment that’s potentially fascinating, and the feature itself is very charming. While a lot of editorial fussing is present, Waititi returns to the small, oddball comedies of his early days here, creating some laughs and formulaic fun with this examination of teamwork and understanding. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com