December 27, 2004

Unexpected Pleasure

It was Christmas Day and we didn't really have any plans, other than an early celebratory dinner. I asked my wife, "Want to watch a movie this evening?"

"Sure, as long as it's not too long or too serious."

That was a problem. My to-play queue was packed with films like The Dancer Upstairs, L'eclisse, and Ratcatcher. Not a romantic comedy in the pile.

This is why we have cable, of course. "I'll just see what's on tonight, shall I?"

We were in luck. American Movie Classics was showing Winchester '73. True, it was James Stewart's gritty breakout from the nice-guy roles he'd always played, but it was jam-packed with great supporting players (Will Geer, Rock Hudson, Shelly Winters, Stephen MacNally, and Dan Duryea all shine). And it was directed by Michael Mann.

Good stuff.

The only problem is that I can never remember which of the basic cable movie channels have commercials, and when I started warming up the projector half an hour before the film started, I had to sit through eight whole minutes of ads -- not a good sign, especially if you consider my wife's complete and utter lack of patience. (Being married to me uses up what little she has -- or perhaps, I should say, has long since depleted what she did have).

I needed an alternative -- and fast.

I checked the schedule bar for premium cable. A few holiday films, some soft porn (an interesting programming choice for Christmas Day, don't you think?), and -- ahhhh -- Bend It Like Beckham on HBO.

I'd heard raves and I'd heard that it was the most boring film of 2003, but we were desperate for entertainment, so we tuned in.

I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but we loved it. In case the title didn't clue you in, it's a British film and the titular Beckham is David Beckham, the hunky soccer player formerly of Manchester United and now of Real Madrid. He's not really in the movie (well, he is for a few seconds -- sort of).

The film's about Jesminder (Jess) Bhamra (Parminder K. Nagra), a first-generation British schoolgirl, the daughter of Sikhs who fled Uganda and are solidly middle-class. Jess's folks want her to study hard, get an advanced degree, and, of course, marry a nice Indian boy. Jess wants to play soccer.

Not exactly a Marlon Brando level of youth rebellion, but what makes Bend It Like Beckham so delightful is that it sets Jess's world up so realistically we understand how shocking her ambition is to her parents and their peers -- even while we're rooting for her.

So, it's a film about dreams and assimilation and independence and loyalty and friendship -- and romance.

In its own way, it's as formal (and as formulaic) as a Jane Austen novel. It is also, I hasten to add, just as satisfying. To a large extent, that's because the film was produced by a cast and crew as multicultural as the Britain it portrays. The director , Gurinder Chadha, is Anglo-British, as are his co-writers, and they obviously love the UK as much as they love the traditions and ambitions of their parents' cultures.

Not that they paint a picture of complete and happy assimilation. Jess and the girls on her soccer team don't get much respect from the soccer louts in the park, and Jess is called a nasty epithet in a match, but while the film acknowledges the rough spots where cultures rub up against one another, that's not what it's about.

It's about learning to be a winner and about growing up -- which, it demonstrates, is something that can happen no matter how old you are. It even happens to Jess's parents.

We all have old, beloved favorite films -- and I've written about how we also all have our guilty pleasures. Both types of pleasure have their place, but discovering an unexpected treasure is sweet, too.