The Beautiful Game | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

85% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings

Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England's homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he's ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup,The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances -- where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything's to play for.

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The Beautiful Game

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Critics Consensus

The Beautiful Game has an undeniable warmth that further elevates an already irresistible true story, helping this inspirational drama score despite a reliance on well-worn clichés.

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Critics Reviews

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The Beautiful Game | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Robert Levin Newsday There's hardly anything in “The Beautiful Game” that audiences have not seen a thousand times before. And that's unfortunate, because theHomeless World Cup has dramatic potential that transcends the underdog story archetype. Rated: 2/4 Apr 8, 2024 Full Review The Beautiful Game | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Tim Cogshell FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) I love this movie. It's as ordinary as the dirt you play soccer on, but I don't care. It's fantastic. Apr 5, 2024 Full Review The Beautiful Game | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Leslie Felperin Hollywood Reporter The film rolls along smoothly like many a British sitcom, finding its humor largely in mild embarrassment, ironic understatement and well-rehearsed comic timing. Mar 29, 2024 Full Review The Beautiful Game | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Christopher Connor Loud and Clear Reviews Bill Nighy and Michael Ward elevate Netflix sports drama The Beautiful Game, an underdog story that feels reminiscent of Ted Lasso. Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 1, 2024 Full Review The Beautiful Game | Rotten Tomatoes (5) James Marsh South China Morning Post The Beautiful Game sets out to make a breezy, entertaining and uplifting film about the unifying power of team sports, while shying away from the darker recesses of its characters’ predicaments. Rated: 3/5 May 9, 2024 Full Review The Beautiful Game | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Emma Donnelly Film Ireland Magazine The plot isn’t as blindly predictable as one might expect, and as the characters warmly bicker and banter, their issues carry real weight -- that pay off in the second half. May 2, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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GRD I What a wonderful movie, conflict is there and there’s definitely some sad points, they make good points about how some people do need harm reduction measures in order to function, while also pointing out others do not but instead need mental health help. Unfortunately, in real life the NHS wait time for mental health help is very long. The actual story is fascinating and the acting done by the managers of each team is immaculate and emotional. Just because someone looks put together on the outside, does not mean they are on the inside and we all need a helping hand. I love football and this is a story of how sport and a team can help people become more than themselves. Wonderful, watch it! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/02/24 Full Review Ralph W Maybe some of the plot was a bit far-fetched but I didn't care. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/18/24 Full Review Rosana B Achei que seria apenas um passatempo leve, uma comédia bobinha, mas já estou aqui chorando com menso de 20 minutos de filme, pensando e lamentando os problemas de uma sociedade injusta, aiaiai, (olhos marejados). É baseado na notável história real da Homeless World Cup, torneio de 21 anos une moradores de rua de mais de 80 países… Já tenho meus queridinhos, o time da freira, da África do Sul… Que filme lindo, super delicia de assistir, me emocionei em tantos momentos. Esperançoso e Maravilhoso... Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/24 Full Review Douglas B I agree with the critics; a lot of warmth in this one. I'm a huge Bill Nighy fan; I doubt he's ever made a bad movie. But it's unusual to see him a little less acerbic than his usual self. And it's a rare role in which he doesn't wear a tie (even for a scene or two).Could have been a bit shorter and a few developments were fairly predictable but all in all I definitely enjoyed it. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/16/24 Full Review Audience Member I loved this film greatly. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/09/24 Full Review M L Though the story is fictional, the Homeless World Cup is a transformative, inspiring, real event, didn't even know it existed. How can you not be moved by the story of the cup and how it has changed the lives of millions of homeless people? Sometimes we need to look past people's situations and see the value of each individual. Loved the movie . Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/23/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Thea Sharrock Director Bill Nighy Mal Susan Wokoma Protasia Callum Scott Howells Nathan Kit Young Cal Sheyi Cole Jason
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Synopsis Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England's homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he's ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup,The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances -- where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything's to play for.

Director
Thea Sharrock

Producer
Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, Colin Farrell, Ben Knight, Anita Overland

Screenwriter
Frank Cottrell Boyce

Distributor
Netflix

Production Co
Blueprint Pictures, Wildside, Film4

Rating
PG-13 (Some Language|A Suggestive Reference|Drug Reference|Brief Partial Nudity)

Genre
Drama, Sports

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 25, 2024, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 29, 2024

Runtime
2h 4m
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