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Goal III: Taking on the World
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Wikipedia article
'Goal III: Taking on the World' (also known as 'Goal III') is a 2009 sports drama film directed by Andrew Morahan and written by Mike Jefferies, Piers Ashworth, and Jonathan Ezekiel. The sequel to 'Goal!' (2005) and 'Goal II: Living the Dream' (2007), it is the third and final installment in the 'Goal!' trilogy. 'Goal III: Taking on the World' stars Kuno Becker, JJ Feild, Leo Gregory, Nick Moran, and Tamer Hassan. In the film, Santiago Muez (Becker) and his club teammates Liam Adams (Feild) and Charlie Braithwaite (Gregory) prepare for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Aside from Becker, none of the other cast from the predecessors returned for 'Goal III: Taking on the World'. The film is notable for its demotion of Muez as the series' protagonist, instead placing focus on the characters of Adams and Braithwaite. Unlike its previous two installments, the film did not have a theatrical release by Buena Vista International.
'Goal III: Taking on the World' was released in the United Kingdom straight to DVD and Blu-ray by Metrodome Distribution on June 15, 2009. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and audiences, with criticism for its screenplay, acting, direction, sports sequences, editing, and characterization; many also lambasted the reduced follow-up to Muez's story and called it a disappointing conclusion to the trilogy.
Plot
Santiago Muez, Liam Adams, and Charlie Braithwaite film a commercial for the upcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. After the shoot, Liam's agent Nick Ashworth informs him his contract with Real Madrid would not be renewed; Liam returns to his former club Newcastle United. Charlie is cast in a film and the trio travel to Romania for filming. There, Charlie develops a relationship with Sophia Tardelli, an Italian actress, while Liam is informed he and Charlie have been selected for the England World Cup squad.
As the three and Sofia travel in a taxi, they are side swiped by another vehicle and taken to a local hospital. Liam, Sofia, and Charlie suffer minor injuries, but Santiago suffers cracked ribs and a broken arm, ruling him out of the World Cup. After brokering Liam's deal, Nick meets June, Liam's ex-partner, and her daughter, Bella; Nick correctly deduces Liam is the father. Liam goes to visit June, who dislikes his party lifestyle and secret alcoholism, and Liam runs out of the house in a panic after meeting Bella.
Liam and Charlie travel to Germany for the World Cup, and after remaining on the bench for the opening two group stage games, Liam scores an equaliser against Sweden, assisted by a header from Charlie, and England qualify for the knock-out stages. Charlie and Sofia become engaged. During a team dinner, Santiago reveals Nick has now become his agent, resulting in him signing a two-year contract with Tottenham Hostpur. The three travel to a local night club, where Liam flirts with Katja, but backs away out of guilt for leaving June.
During the knockout game against Ecuador, Charlie is knocked down in a collision and stretchered off. After the match, a 1-0 win for England, Charlie collapses in the changing room and dies en route to the hospital from an aneurysm previously unidentified from the car accident. As the football world mourn Charlie's death, Liam works to kick his alcohol dependency and become more active in Bella's life.
After a goalless draw against Portugal in the Quarter Finals, Liam is chosen as one of the England penalty takers. Liam's penalty is saved by Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo while Cristiano Ronaldo converts the decisive spot kick as England are eliminated from the tournament. Upon returning to Newcastle, Liam and June get engaged, with Santiago serving as Best Man. During the wedding, the party make a toast to Charlie.
Cast
* Kuno Becker as Santiago Muez
* JJ Feild as Liam Adams
* Leo Gregory as Charlie Braithwaite
* Nick Moran as Nick Ashworth
* Kasia Smutniak as Sophia Tardelli
* Anya Lahiri as June
* Tamer Hassan as Ronnie, one of the England coaches
* Ori Pfeffer as Mad Film Director
* John Salthouse as Newcastle United manager
* Gary Lewis as Mal Braithwaite, Newcastle United coach
* Tereza Srbova as Katja
* Margo Stilley as Tamzin Adams, Liam Adams sister
* Derek Williams as Sven-Gran Eriksson
Becker and Lewis were the only returning members from the predecessors. Unlike the previous films where the sports sequences featured real players, the film solely features stock footage with no cameo appearances.
Critical response
The film's release was met with a level of disappointment from audiences, predominantly based on its quality and the fact that it does not deliver the conclusion to the 'Goal' story. The first two 'Goal' films had built up a large core audience and 'Goal II' had set up something a cliffhanger with its ending, something completely ignored by this film.
Critics were not kind either, echoing the same sentiments as the viewers. In his review for the website Shadows on the Wall, Rich Cline gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The conclusion of the officially sanctioned Fifa trilogy oddly shifts the attention away from the central character Santi to focus on two English players instead. The result is watchable and lively, but still a bit corny."
The reasoning behind the envisaged disparity in plot and quality of the film seems to concentrate on the lack of budget available to producers.
References
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