TL;DR – A fun time that gets held back by some wooden acting and forced storytelling.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Next Goal Wins Review –

I have been enjoying my time at the Brisbane International Film Festival, but as always, things must come to an end. But if you are going to pick a film to end it on, Taika Waititi’s romp about the American Samoa Football Team is an excellent place to do it. This is a sports story that is so infamous that even I have heard about it. With that in mind, let’s play some soccer and see how a team can come back from abject embarrassment.

So to set the scene, American Samoa has been at the bottom of FIFA’s rankings for an age and reached an even lower level in 2001 World Cup qualifiers when, during a game with Australia, they lost 31-0. Tavita (Oscar Kightley) tries to manage the club, but he has become a laughingstock in the soccer community. After some pushing from his wife, Ruth (Rachel House), he applies to the American Soccer Federation for a new coach. Well, this might be a Hail Mary, but at that moment, they have a coach who is about to get fired, and Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) has only one option: take a plane into the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Next Goal Wins is an intriguing film because it is based on a true story, but they also make it clear from the start that they have embellished the real story for comedic effect. This film’s strength lies in its comedy because it is hilarious throughout its runtime. The Polynesian cast has incredible comedic timing and implements quality physical comedy at every turn. It is always fun getting to see Rachel House go full-tilt, or Oscar Kightley go on a full charm offensive, and even Taika Watititi dropping in as a priest cameo, like Hunt for the Wilderpeople, works. There was a joyous and raucous laughter throughout the film that you could feel emanating from the entire cinema.  

When it comes to the narrative, if you have ever watched any film covering an underdog team trying to succeed, you have likely understood exactly the progression this film will make during its runtime. Just add in a Pacific setting, Americans thinking they know best, and a couple of Australians to be pricks, and you the rough framework we are working with here. Now, because this is a Pacific-focused film made for a wider audience, you get some awkward moments when they have to explain concepts of Pacific culture from an elementary level. One example of this is Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana), the fa’afafine member of the team. You know that they have to do the explanation for people outside of the Pacific who may never come across the term before. But you also have to sit there and have to watch the ‘Dead Name’ scene coming like a truck whose brakes have failed coming down a mountain. Though respect to Kaimana’s performance in those moments.       

On top of this, the whole narrative is focused through the lens of Thomas Rongen. He is the audience insert character, and through his perspective, we experience the quirks of American Samoan culture. This limits the depth that you can explore Samoan and Pasifika culture with because you always have to stop what you are doing to explain it to the oblivious character bumbling their way through things like they know best. But more than that, the character and Michael Fassbender’s performance is so dour that it creates a barrier to how much you can engage with the film.

In the end, do we recommend Next Goal Wins? Well, this is not a film without its faults. However, the Polynesian cast is fundamentally hilarious, with a bunch of cameos that are a delight. Some moments made me laugh with my whole body, and while not all of the narrative lands, it does work in the end. If you liked Next Goal Wins, we would also recommend to you Uproar or Red, White & Brass.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Next Goal Wins?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Next Goal Wins
Directed by – Taika Waititi
Screenplay by – Taika Waititi & Iain Morris
Based on – Next Goal Wins by Mike Brett & Steve Jamison
Music by – Michael Giacchino
Cinematography by – Lachlan Milne
Edited by – Nicholas Monsour
Production/Distribution Companies – Imaginarium Productions, Defender Films, Garrett Basch Production & Searchlight Pictures
Starring – Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Will Arnett, Elisabeth Moss, Uli Latukefu, Chris Alosio, Lehi Falepapalangi, Semu Filipo, Ioane Goodhue, Rhys Darby, Angus Sampson, Luke Hemsworth, Kaitlyn Dever, Hio Pelesasa, David Tu’itupou, Levy Tuiala, Loretta Ables Sayre, William Kahele, Armani Makaiwa, Lori Pelenise Tuisano, Tulalagalaga Tatalo Wily, Frankie Adams & Taika Waititi
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: na; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: na; United States: PG-13