This one's goalie tender. Writer-director Gurinder Chadha's sweet culture-clash comedy is exactly the kind of quaint British film Americans love, complete with our cross-Atlantic cousins appearing endearingly daffy. The plotline is pretty standard: Two teenage girls (Parminder K. Nagra and Keira Knightley) desire to play soccer like their heroes (David Beckham and Mia Hamm, respectively), but both are faced with familial concerns regarding their love of sports.
Nagra is up against Indian tradition that requires her to learn how to cook, get married, etc., while sporty Knightley's mother thinks that she's gay. Both clans are hilarious, but Shaheen Khan deserves special mention as the mother of all anti-soccer moms. The movie's feel-good message is universal: Trust your children and love your family. And any storyline shortcomings are easily overlooked since the characters have so much personality. Quite a score.