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Touches You

the audience applauded

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It's undeniable that this kind of plot was worked and reworked in many movies but "The Match" has a wonderful locale and a decent cast (also starring the American Tom Sizemore). The team of misfits subject is here handled focusing on quirky characters and on a romantic basis (Willie is still in love with his childhood friend Rosemary). This small-town comedy - with a little Pierce Brosnan cameo - dealing with the underdog theme and the football/soccer popularity, could somehow remind other working class stories but it's completely different from Ken Loach pictures because is less centered on social problems and more on a melhancoly atmosphere. However it works

THE MATCH is in the same category of "little UK films" as CALENDAR GIRLS, THE ENGLISHMAN WHO..., LOCAL HERO, etc. which depend on a likable and quirky set of characters to drive a plot that you KNOW will "all turn out right" from the first frame. As many have pointed out, there's not much you couldn't guess about the plot as it proceeds, but I enjoyed being along for the ride. Watching Bill Paterson, Ian Holm, Richard E. Grant and the others obviously enjoying their roles was a pleasure. The slightly odd Celtic soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams, plus the interesting choices of source music, added an extra layer of enjoyment. Just ignore the plot holes (would there really have been a bar called L'BISTRO in 1899?) and have yourself a jolly good evening of light fun.

Other people have used the words "light, romantic" for this film. I'd sooner use the words boring and predictable. If, as a child, you watched all those wonderful family sport movies(i.e., Little Giants, Angels in the Outfield), and then followed those up with the slightly more grown-up, but otherwise fairly similar sport dramedies (Mystery Alaska, for example) you get a pretty good idea of the sport movie formula, and they all share a trick or two. What makes some of them good is little twists of originality that sets them apart. Even storylines that allow the heroic team to lose set themselves apart in a show of realistic-ness and, well, modesty. I saw this movie for one reason: Richard E. Grant. And I rated it above a 1 for one reason: Richard E. Grant. He added a few comic moments to a story that otherwise I could practically recite without ever coming in contact with it before. There is nothing worse than sitting in front of a movie, and saying to yourself, "Oh, jeez, I know exactly what's going to happen next, and what's going to happen after that, and so on", and then finding that you are exactly right. We have the two competing pubs, the good guys, roughcut poor men with hearts of gold deep, deep down under their unwashed hides and snarly attitudes, versus the rich snobs of L'Bistro (now, come on guys, a Bistro in the middle of rural Scotland?), who are of course the champions of the last ninety nine years of matches between the two, and of course it all stems from a century old bet between the two original owners, who were once friends but then were torn apart over -- drumroll please -- a woman. Now, I'm not going to tell you how it ends, but hopefully you'll have the intellect to guess it without ever having to go out and waste your money on this piece. The one exception to the monotony was Grant, who comically portrays Gorgeous Gus, L'Bistro's villainous owner. His sideline antics were the only thing that made the final big match seen worth the time. Even so, it hardly passed. I give it a two, for Grant's sake. And, if he's what you're seeing it for, there are some much better ones you could rent. I highly recommend "Jack and Sarah"

The Match is a comedy in the same vein as The Full Monty. It falls short of the latter in terms of sustained laugh-aloud comedy but has a naive sweetness and a fairly exciting footballing climax.The calibre of the cast is excellent - perhaps to the film's ultimate detriment - and the plot both light and fantastic. The comedy remains constant but never belly-wrenching; the romance sweet but never Romeo & Juliet-threatening; and the football match climax enjoyable but never over-whelming.Having said all that, the film feels like it might have worked more successfully as an out and out kids' movie. The comedy is fairly accessible (if a little UK-specific) and the sporting battle widely appealing to children. Add to this cameos from England's most famous footballer and one of the world's biggest stars (I'm not spoiling the surprise) and there is much to be said in favour of this small, enjoyable film.