What I know about American Samoa and soccer (yes, in most countries it’s called football but for this review, I’m calling it soccer to avoid confusion) wouldn’t fill a thimble. I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down in the theater to see ‘Next Goal Wins’ (directed by Taika Waititi and written by Taika Waititi and Iain Morris). After Regal Cinemas made everyone punch-drunk with five trailers and six commercials (Yikes! Come on Regal, give the audience a break!), the movie started.
I really enjoyed the film. I left the theater wanting to learn more about soccer and American Samoa, and isn’t that the mark of a great film, when it leaves you wanting more?
The film is based on a true story and opens with a narrative by Taika Waititi himself, portraying one of his usual eccentric characters as he gives a brief history of the team and their 31 to 0(!) loss to Australia in 2001. Playing the pastor of the team’s favorite church, he’s decked out like some futuristic alternate-universe version of Freddie Mercury, complete with a salt and pepper Fu Manchu moustache and a robe with a painting of the Virgin Mary splashed on the front that’s so gaudy even Las Vegas-era Elvis would call it tacky.
A Successful Comedy with Some Dramatic Elements
In 2011, 10 years after their devastating loss, the team is still horrible and the World Soccer Federation is considering abolishing the team, feeling they’re an embarrassment with no hope of getting better. Simultaneously, Thomas Rongen (played by Michael Fassbender), a troublesome Dutch-American soccer coach who’s a borderline alcoholic with a hot temper, has been fired from several coaching positions. The World Soccer Federation gives him one last chance to redeem himself by forcing him to coach the American Samoa soccer team, with an ultimatum that he’s got to make them winners or he’s out of the Federation for good. Rongen reluctantly heads there, his luggage fully loaded with bottles of booze.
The film has some dramatic moments but it’s mostly a comedy. It skews occasionally into “Monty Python”-style comic absurdity. Early in the film, when Rongen is told he’ll be fired permanently if he doesn’t go to American Samoa, the news is delivered hilariously via an old-fashioned overlay projector. As Rongen tries to process the news, the person delivering the news takes him through the five stages of grief, slapping words like “Denial” and “Anger” on the projector, at times causing the text to be displayed upside-down or backwards on the screen, causing the presenter to awkwardly fumble to fix it. It’s a scene that goes on a bit too long but it’s a hilariously silly take on a scene that in most films would have been very dramatic.
An Extremely Likable Cast of Characters
Most of the film’s humor comes from cultural misconceptions, both how Rongen views Samoan culture and how the Samoans view American culture. When Rongen arrives in American Samoa, the local Samoan Football Federation President Tavita (played wonderfully by Oscar Kightley) takes Rongen to the home that’s been set up for him, complete with a large painting of Jesus and a picture of Dolly Parton, because of course, every person in the continental US has shrines to Jesus and Dolly Parton in their homes.
The actors playing the various characters on the soccer team are so likeable and lovable that Fassbender’s Rongen ends up being the least interesting character in the film. Tavita is a very down-to-Earth person who never gets angry about anything. He’s the embodiment of zen, living in the present, enjoying the moment and very rarely stressing over anything. He’s the perfect counterpoint to Rongen’s impatience and quick temper.
Characters You Can Love
The most fascinating character in the film by far is Jaiyah Saelua, a trans woman (in Samoan culture where four genders are embraced, she’s referred to as fa’afafine or “in the manner of a woman”). Played by the fa’afafine actress Kaimana, Jaiyah is incredibly adorable yet fierce when she’s not treated respectfully. She sees soccer as a fun game, something she enjoys but doesn’t take seriously, much to Rongen’s irritation. What’s so sweet about Jaiyah is that the concept of getting worked up over any sport is a totally foreign concept to her. She can’t understand Rongen’s ire and anger over losing a game. It’s just fun kicking the ball around with friends, right? Over the course of the film, she and Rongen form a lovely bond. Kaimana and Fassbender have wonderful chemistry together.
Yes, the film has the obligatory tropes that all sports films have. There’s a rousing speech moment, there’s a training montage (two actually), and there’s the big game that will decide everyone’s fate. Director Waititi makes the game tense, having the film’s subplots crash together during the climax to great effect.
I felt a sadness as the end credits rolled, having to say goodbye to the characters I spent 104 minutes with. I found myself loving the characters, Samoan culture and the paradise of American Samoa, so full of music and amazing people that’s just a tiny speck on the world map. Something tells me that American Samoa’s going to be getting a LOT of tourists after people see the film and the beauty of that magical place.
“Next Goal Wins” is currently only available to watch in theaters.
