Bend It Like Beckham is Billy Elliot on the soccer field, or football as the British call it. It's a can-do story that uplifts the spirit and is guaranteed to leave you grinning.

The central character is Jess, the younger daughter of a traditional Sikh family living in a London suburb. They're caught up in the fuss of the older daughter's impending wedding and don't notice Jess so much. That's okay, she's pretty happy playing soccer with the boys in the park. And idolizing her hero, David Beckham, a bigtime soccer star in Britain, and husband of Victoria, a.k.a. Posh Spice. Thing change, however, when she's approached by Juliet--an English girl--to come join the local girl's team.

What follows is somewhat predictable. Jess and Jules become footy stars and close buddies. There's romance, some parental issues, and various misunderstandings that have to be resolved. There's also a heavy reliance on cultural images of clothing and food--I couldn't wait for the film to end to snarf some pah bhaji and garlic naan.

What is not predictable is that the film is so adorable. Jess--Parminder Nagra--is particularly wonderful. One interesting tidbit, Jess is self-conscious about wearing shorts due to a nasty scar on her right thigh. The story she tells about the scar really happened to the actress when she was a child.

Bend it like Beckham is the third film of director Gurinda Chadha. I've enjoyed her movies since her debut with Bhaji on the Beach in 1993..

This movie is so wonderfully affirming. I particularly the promotion of individuality and choice for women. Toward the end of the movie there's a brilliant montage of both sisters doing what makes them happy.

However, I'm loath to rave too much about "Bend It Like Beckham," since the film likely cannot live up to too much hype. Rest assured that the sweet movie is well worth a look. It's such a happy flick, beautifully directed and charmingly acted. I loved it.


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