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Bend it Like Beckham | 2002 | PG-13 | - 3.3.4

British film about a young Indian woman who defies her parents' admonishments to stop playing soccer. Her dream is to be able to play on a professional team, just like her idol, U.K. soccer star David Beckham. But her parents think that she is embarrassing her family and should instead learn how to prepare Indian food and look for a nice Indian boy to marry. With Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher and Archie Panjabi. [1:52]

SEX/NUDITY 3 - We see a car moving rhythmically and we see a man and woman inside with their clothing in disarray. A man and a woman kiss passionately -- her leg is wrapped around his waist -- and a man and a woman kiss romantically. A man and a woman hug and nearly kiss, a man caresses a woman's hair and they nearly kiss. Two women hug and kiss (it is non-sexual, although people misunderstand). A man caresses another man's bare chest. A man and a woman hug, two women hug and people think they are kissing. Men and women dance in a nightclub. Men talk about a woman's breasts while watching her play soccer. Women undress, to bras and panties, in a locker room. Women wear tops that reveal bare midriffs, shoulders and cleavage, and short skirts that reveal bare thighs. Men are bare-chested while playing soccer. A woman and her daughter shop in a lingerie store, and the woman pushes up her daughter's breasts. A woman makes a sexual hand gesture. A woman holds up a tampon and makes a comment.

VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A woman shoves another woman, tears her shirt and pushes her to the ground (during a soccer match). A woman slams a soccer ball into a man's crotch. A woman yells at, insults her daughter, and raises her hand to her. People argue and struggle over a video camera. A woman has a large scar on her leg and we hear that she was burned when she was young (in one scene a man teases her about it), and a man has a scar on his knee. There are some bumps and scuffles on the soccer field; one woman is hurt during a game and falls to the field holding her leg.

LANGUAGE 4 - 5 sexual references, 9 scatological terms, 5 anatomical terms, 14 mild obscenities, 1 derogatory term for Indians, 1 derogatory term for homosexuals, 7 religious exclamation.

SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Aspirations, racism, culture, honor, independence, homosexuality, divorce, parental pressure, parental pride, respect for elders, pride, leaving home, long-distance relationships, interracial relationships, letting go of your children.

MESSAGE - Living your life through your children will make you both miserable. Traditions should not stand in the way of progress.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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