The story of the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0.

Just under 10 years ago a documentary was released focusing on the American Samoa national football team, who at one point were the worst ranked international team in the world, with a record for the worst ever defeat (31-0 v Australia) which they still hold today. It was called ‘Next Goal Wins’ and it was brilliant, with my original review stating ‘it’s one of the most uplifting documentaries I’ve seen recently, successfully showing the passion and pride these amateur footballers have for their country and it perfectly encapsulates why football can be such a special sport’. It unfortunately didn’t get a great deal of attention at the time despite a release shortly before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but it may do so now after the release of this feature film based on its story.

Directed by Taika Waititi (taking a break from making ‘Thor’ movies), it is an attempt to blend the true story covered in the documentary with a ‘Cool Runnings’ or ‘Eddie the Eagle’ style sporting underdog story. It stars Michael Fassbender as the Dutch coach Thomas Rongen, with the remainder of the cast made up of actors of Samoan descent alongside Waititi regulars such as Rachel House and Rhys Darby. The ingredients are here for a charming and uplifting crowdpleaser, much like the documentary, but sadly ‘Next Goal Wins’ only briefly sparkles into life and much of why it doesn’t work as well lies squarely with Waititi and fellow writer Iain Morris.

A large part of my issue is with the characterisation of Rongen, who is depicted as a total prick to be frank, with it laid on so heavy at the start that it’s difficult to get on board with the redemption story that ‘Next Goal Wins’ is trying to tell side by side with the redemption of the football team. In the documentary, Rongen is a tough character, but he’s also funny, passionate and likeable, and we can see why the players bought into his coaching style; we get none of that here. Fassbender was a late casting addition after Armie Hammer was replaced, and I think his performance, coupled with the way his character is written, makes him difficult to warm too. I also felt a lot of the humour didn’t really work as well as intended, with Waititi trying to utilise the offbeat humour he developed so well in ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ and even ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, but at times it just seems quite mean-spirited here.

That being said, the underlying story in ‘Next Goal Wins’ is strong enough to make this an enjoyable watch and you do find yourself rooting for their success (in relative terms), but I’d recommend just watching the excellent documentary instead if the story interests you. If anything, hopefully ‘Next Goal Wins’ draws additional attention to that.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Taika Waititi

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Will Arnett, Elisabeth Moss, Uli Latukefu, Rhys Darby, Angus Sampson, Luke Hemsworth, Kaitlyn Dever and Frankie Adams

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt10767052/