Next Goal Wins (2023)

A formulaic but entertaining underdog soccer comedy in which Waititi returns to his roots, celebrating Pacific island culture with gentle humor rooted in his own heritage that ultimately earns its uplifting perspective.

The critic views it as a warm, heart-in-the-right-place underdog portrait of a poor sports team, with some genuine goosebumps moments around team culture, but notes Waititi's shtick runs thin with misguided elements.

The true story of the American Samoa national football team is dramatised with a light touch in this charming if unexceptional comedy. It lacks the heart of the source material and focusses too much on Fassbender as a fish-out-of-water.

Taika Waititi’s affable but uninspired underdog sporting drama mines every last cliché of the genre. It is elevated by its focus on Polynesian culture and the sensitive handling of the subplot involving transgender player Jaiyah Saelua.

The critic finds the film a sloppy, quirky frothy comedy that apes underdog sports movies without much depth, ultimately calling it 'meh'. They single out the genuine and touching handling of the nonbinary player Jaiyah for praise.

Taika Waititi makes a film that’s chillingly eager to please. The adaptation of the 2014 documentary strives for nothing more than maintaining the status quo, depicting Samoans as adorable but goofy mascots.

Waititi’s sports farce about underdog redemption is an irredeemable runt that presents ineptitude as an exalted state while its own mediocrity remains earthbound, with Fassbender looking uncomfortable throughout.

Waititi's frivolous humor clashes with the heartwarming emotions and real story, turning characters into props for his jokes and adding irritants rather than letting the material breathe, with only one sequence succeeding.

The sloppily made and lazy film feels like an inadvertent parody of the underdog sports genre, with Waititi not trying hard enough and mangling the moment of triumph while offering few laughs.

The critic calls the film a bland and predictable underdog comedy that fails to charm and leans on borderline offensive stereotypes. They single out the lack of nuance in characterisation and trajectory for complaint.

The occasionally funny but frequently messy film suffers because Waititi's dominant voice drowns out the other characters, preventing the inspirational sports tale from landing effectively.

The critic finds the film stale and choppy with insufficient laughs or earned sincerity. He singles out the white-savior narrative and excessive cultural cuteness as major flaws.

Waititi’s amiable but rough comedy about the American Samoa team and its troubled coach is broad, affectionate and often funny in a goofy way, with Fassbender working hard to deliver a comedy performance that mostly succeeds.

The film errs on the side of jokiness, sacrificing sincerity for self-conscious humor that mocks sports drama tropes while relying on them without earning emotional payoffs. It works best when Waititi steps back and lets characters speak for themselves.

The critic calls the film a sloppy underdog comedy that is indolent, offensive, and comedically barren. She singles out the miscasting of Michael Fassbender and the screenplay's preference for lazy jokes about the islanders.

The critic describes it as a stock 'Ted Lasso' riff that is predictable but enjoyable. He singles out the respectful poking fun at indigenous island culture and Kaimana's standout performance as the fa'afafine athlete.

Waititi delivers a heartfelt crowd-pleaser that follows the familiar underdog sports formula but infuses it with his quirky humor and genuine emotion. The review singles out the lovable ensemble of Polynesian characters and the community for making the story feel fresh and winning.

Next Goal Wins is Waititi’s best and most crowd-pleasing film to date, a charming underdog comedy about the American Samoa soccer team. The review praises the sensitive, non-offensive handling of Samoan culture and the heartfelt tone enabled by the director’s Maori ancestry.

The film is an extremely okay sports comedy that follows a familiar formula without the genre-defying creativity of Waititi's best work. Waititi's humor shines through at times, but the story lacks heart and the bigger-name cast feels underutilized; the team performances, especially Kaimana as Jaiyah, stand out as the real strength.

The critic calls the film pleasant enough with the usual sports movie elements like montages but notes it does not add much and feels by-the-numbers rather than self-indulgent. It earns a point like a consolation in a scoreless draw but could have been better.

The film includes every beat of a standard underdog sports story with some charming Waititi-style humor and quirky characters, but it fails to convey why anyone cares about soccer or the team's specific story, resulting in a broad, bland, by-the-numbers experience that loses the heart of the real events.

The critic finds Taika Waititi's underdog sports comedy uninspired and a failure across the genre's key elements, with lazy writing and unexciting jokes crushing the potential of the true story. The Samoan characters, especially the football team members, receive little development or layered treatment beyond serving the white protagonist's arc, though Kaimana's performance as Jaiyah stands out.

The critic faults the film for leaving characters underdeveloped and singling out one subplot for criticism while praising the transfixing performance of Kaimana as Jaiyah. Overall it receives a red card as a misstep for the director.

The critic deems the film awful, derivative, lifeless and misguided, criticizing the pointless narration and failure to focus on the players until the very end. It only briefly becomes effective in the final moments.

The film is another bizarre misfire for Waititi, undermined by miscasting of Fassbender and a controversial transphobic subplot that clashes with its feel-good underdog story. It exemplifies audience fatigue with the director's recent output following underwhelming prior projects.

The critic finds the film a straightforward, conventional sports underdog story that delivers exactly what one expects without deeper engagement or surprises. It is pleasantly entertaining in the moment but ultimately forgettable and by-the-numbers.