Next Goal Wins

The American Samoa national football team lost 31-0 to Australia in 2001, still the heaviest defeat in international football. Years later the Dutch coach Thomas Rongen is sent to the island to manage them. The goal is not to win anything: it is to score once. Taika Waititi directed, from the 2014 documentary of the same name. Michael Fassbender plays Rongen. One of the players, Jaiyah, is a transgender defender, and the coach's relationship with her sits at the centre of the film. The closing text notes that Jaiyah became the first openly transgender athlete to play in a World Cup qualifier, and that Rongen later worked as chief scout for the United States national team. Filming ran from November 2019 to January 2020 in Honolulu on a 14 million dollar budget. After the accusations against Armie Hammer, the role of Alex Magnussen was reshot with Will Arnett. It grossed 18.6 million dollars worldwide. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 46 percent, the consensus saying Waititi's heart is in the right place while the execution strayed. Audiences gave it a B plus on CinemaScore. Who it is for: viewers who like sports film conventions and Waititi's humour. Who it is not for: anyone wanting fidelity to the real story. The film rearranges events extensively in favour of the jokes.