There’s a real “I can do anything I want” attitude to “Next Goal Wins” that makes it about as inspiring as a student film without structure.
Based on the American Samoa soccer team’s comeback from a devastating loss (31-0) to Australia, it shows what a new coach did to rally the dejected. In other words, it’s a southern hemisphere “Ted Lasso.”
A miscast Michael Fassbender stars as Thomas Rongen, a coach whose Bobby Knight behavior has forced him to look elsewhere for work. He takes the job in American Samoa and realizes the team has lost its will. He has three weeks to get the players primed for a win.
Naturally, it seems impossible.
Because Taika Waititi is directing (and co-wrote) this, you’d think differently. Instead, it’s unhinged and filled with the kind of lax behavior most can’t embrace.
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Before he can even assemble the team, Rongen must find it. Players are all over the place, unsure they want to suffer another defeat. They also have a different mindset regarding play and teach more than they learn.
Because we know where this is headed (name one soccer film that isn’t plotted like this), much of “Next Goal Wins” is spent exploring the territory, meeting the locals and trying to figure out what caused Rongen to be so angry.
While Fassbender is almost swallowed up by his players (he’s awfully slight to be in this kind of role), he does well one-on-one. As he confronts players about their participation, we get to know them – and that’s where the real film should have been pitched.
The players are interesting, different and highly watchable. Waititi, however, hits and runs. His best story comes from a transgender athlete who has plenty to say about the game. We get dribs and drabs, but not enough to satisfy a film this needy.
As Jaiyah Saelua, the first trans athlete to play in a World Cup qualifying match, Kaimana is wonderful. You want to hear more – and learn what fueled so much of the character’s life. She gets moments (at one crucial point in particular) and always grabs focus. Even though Fassbender is barking orders, Kaimana stands out.
When we get to the game, flashbacks to other, better films emerge. An account of the last goal is handled in a great Waititi way – but it’s a little too late to begin flexing those comic muscles. Naturally, there's actual footage of the real coach and a bit of an update.
“Next Goal Wins," however, needed a better set-up.
Michael Fassbender plays a coach in "Next Goal Wins."
Fassbender gets an emotional locker room moment that tries to explain his behavior, but it’s surrounded by so many missteps it’s hard to believe it’s true.
Like so much of “Next Goal Wins,” it’s a moment that prompts a visit to Google and a check to see if this is fact or fiction.
