Goal!

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Goal's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Goal! completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 6 February 2006.

Overall comments and recommendations

Goal! is the life story of Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) who came from humble beginnings and rose to great fame in his chosen field of football. It’s an uplifting story that will appeal to older children as well as to adults, even those of a non-sporting mind. Santiago’s persistence and strong moral fibre will make him a good role model for boys.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Goal! contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Santiago Munez leaves Mexico as a child with his family and enters the US where they settle in Los Angeles. Santiago’s father works hard as a labourer to support his family of two boys as does Santiago who works at two jobs, helping his father and working in a kitchen, while pursuing his love of football. While playing with his local team Los Americanos Jovenes, Santiago is spotted by Glen Foy (Stephen Dilane), a former English football player and team scout for Newcastle United. He instantly recognises that Santiago has a natural ability and invites him to England to try out for his old team.

Santiago’s father refuses to give his permission for him to go believing that Santiago’s future lies in continuing in his cleaning business. His Grandmother however, (who had been left with the job of raising the boys after their Mother left them) is much more supportive and encourages Santiago to follow his dreams. Thus Santiago arrives in England where Glen Foy takes him under his wing. He soon learns though, that playing football in rain and mud is a quite different game from what he’s used to and he fails to impress the coach or the team manager. Faced with having to return home to the US, Santiago is helped in an unexpected manner by high flying team member, Gavin Harris (Alessandro Nivola). Gavin can also see Santiago’s potential and gets him reinstated into the reserves team.

Gavin is a wild boy however, who loves parties and women and is a bad influence on Santiago. Nonetheless Santiago remains true to his roots and prefers the company of his unpretentious girlfriend, Nurse Roz Harrison (Anna Friel). Santiago’s football skills become well recognised and he eventually gets to live his dream when he plays in a finals match for Newcastle United.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

The only violence in this movie is on the football field which does get quite rough at times. Santiago is shown slipping and falling heavily in the mud on several occasions. He also grabs another player by the collar on one occasion.

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

There are a few minor incidents that could disturb very young children:

• When the family flees from Mexico they are nearly caught by a border patrol.
  
• Santiago’s father dies of a heart attack and he is shown lying dead on the ground.

Over the age of eight

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

There is nothing in this movie that would scare children over the age of eight.

Sexual references

There are several sexual references in this movie, including:

• Gavin wakes up in bed with two scantily clad women.
  
• one of the players tells Santiago that his sister thinks he looks like Antonio Banderas but, he says, “if you shag her I’ll kill you”.
  
• two women are shown sleeping together on a sofa.

Nudity and sexual activity

Gavin takes Santiago to a party where there are several women in a bedroom, dressed only in underwear. He pushes Santiago onto the bed with the women where they start to undress him. A newspaper reporter photographs the event and prints it in the papers.

Use of substances

There is quite a lot of drinking of alcohol and smoking of cigarettes at pubs, clubs, parties and functions.

Coarse language

There is some low level coarse language, including:

• arse
  
• arsehole
  
• bullshit
  
• dickhead
  
• shit
  
• shat
  
• Oh my God
  
• piss off

The movie's message

The movie’s message is to follow one’s dream and that persistence and effort are required to achieve it. Values parents may wish to encourage include:

• determination
  
• persistence
  
• loyalty
  
• encouragement
  
• unpretentiousness
  
• genuineness
  
• respect.
  

This movie could give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children what the consequences can be of drinking to excess and engaging in casual sex.