--- title: "Next Goal Wins: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/next-goal-wins/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/next-goal-wins" critics_score: 46 critics_reviews: 19 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Next Goal Wins (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 46 from 19 reviews: 4 positive, 5 mixed, 10 negative. Most critics find Next Goal Wins a formulaic underdog comedy, and the majority think it a poor one. The spread is wide. The warmest notices come from the festival screenings, where Deadline calls it a heartfelt crowd-pleaser and The Wrap ranks it among Waititi’s best work, while the reviews written around release turn sharply colder. The praise clusters almost entirely on Kaimana’s performance as Jaiyah Saelua, which several reviews name as the film’s one steady strength, and on its affection for Samoan life whenever Waititi stands back. The reservations cluster on Waititi himself: his jokes crowd out the players, the islanders become props, and Michael Fassbender is widely thought miscast or simply uncomfortable. A few go further and call the treatment of the team borderline offensive, and The Ringer finds the Jaiyah subplot transphobic rather than sensitive, the one point where critics flatly contradict one another. Few call it dull to sit through; the complaint is that it is lazy. ## The AV Club — Justin Lowe Rating B-. 17 November 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/next-goal-wins-movie-review-taika-waititi-1851026403) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/next-goal-wins-2023/) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 3/5. 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vmrhld/next-goal-wins/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/next-goal-wins-toronto-review/5185788.article) ## The Independent — Mark Kennedy Rating 2/4. 15 November 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/taika-waititi-ap-michael-fassbender-american-samoa-jason-sudeikis-b2447826.html) ## Little White Lies — Mark Asch Rating 2/2/2. 23 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/next-goal-wins) ## Financial Times Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/5473d388-c2e7-4079-818f-6855a73d3a3f) ## Slant Magazine — Justin Clark Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi-michael-fassbender/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/next-goal-wins-is-taika-waititi-even-trying.html) ## The i Paper Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 29 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi-comedy-2818262) ## IndieWire — Esther Zuckerman 11 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi-1234904390/) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele 17 November 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-11-17/next-goal-wins-review-michael-fassbender-taika-waititi) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 20 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/20/next-goal-wins-review-michael-fassbender-funnies-it-up-in-taika-waititis-football-yarn) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 10 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi-michael-fassbender-1235586834/) ## The New York Times — Jeannette Catsoulis 16 November 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/movies/next-goal-wins-review.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 10 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi-1235719414/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/09/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi-michael-fassbendre-american-somoan-soccer-teams-toronto-film-festival-1235542654/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating B-. 11 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/next-goal-wins-taika-waititi-review/) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/next-goal-wins-2023-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) ## Polygon — Rafael Motamayor Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23870973/next-goal-wins-taika-waititi-soccer-football-movie-review/) ## Digital Spy — Mireia Mullor Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46173546/next-goal-wins-review/) ## The Playlist — Charles Bramesco Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/next-goal-wins-review-taika-waititi-gets-one-big-red-card-for-his-underdog-soccer-comedy-tiff-20230911/) ## /Film Rating 2/10. 15 September 2023. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1395728/next-goal-wins-review-tiff-2023/) ## The Ringer — Miles Surrey Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2023/11/17/movies/taika-waititi-fatigue-next-goal-wins-review-jojo-rabbit-thor) ## Film Stories — Simon Brew 26 December 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/next-goal-wins-review-a-normal-conventional-sports-underdog-story/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/next-goal-wins.md