“Believe” is a Heartwarming Family Movie
Uplifting and entertaining family movies seem to be in short supply these days. With the release of Believe, that supply just got a little bigger.
Believe, inspired by true events, follows the story of legendary British soccer coach Sir Matt Busby as he comes out of retirement to transform a rag tag group of children into a championship soccer team.
Whether or not you’re a soccer lover, the story is heartwarming, the film is entertaining and the characters engaging. Who hasn’t known a little boy like Georgie, who absolutely lives for soccer? He reminds me of a few of my nieces and nephews.
Georgie would like his life to revolve around soccer with his neighborhood friends, but his mother is determined to give him a better advantage in life and, of course, the two ambitions are at odds. Georgie finds a flyer for an upcoming soccer tournament and is determined to bring his friends together to field a team for the event.
Georgie makes the acquaintance of Sir Busby, in a manner of speaking, when he steals Sir Busby’s wallet outside a neighborhood church. After a rather entertaining chase, the young thief is collared and, through a turn of events (one of my favorite scenes in the movie) Sir Busby agrees not to press charges if the boys accept him as their soccer coach.
The little team of scoundrels begins to come together under Sir Busby’s coaching, but practicing soccer becomes increasingly at odds with Georgie’s mother’s attempts to have Georgie accepted to a locally prestigious private grammar school. The movie follows Georgie’s adventures and misadventures as the team begins their journey through the tournament along with his journey through the tutoring process in preparation for school entrance exams.
Complicating Georgie’s life is that he and his mother are dealing with the recent death of Georgie’s father, creating constant tension between the two. Georgie and his mother must come to terms with it over the course of the movie.
One of the more entertaining characters is Dr. Farquar, dean of the Grammar School and Georgie’s tutor. Dr. Farquar is clearly NOT a fan of soccer and adds not only an additional layer of tension to the story, but some humor and a touching element as well.
We previewed Believe for a family movie night and it was deemed a winner by the teens, the young adults and the parentals. I’ve not doubt the younger crowd will find it equally captivating. Believe is definitely a movie for the whole family to enjoy together.
Believe has already won awards at the Buster International Children’s Film Festival and the Zurich Film Festival and opens in a limited U.S. release Friday, September 12th. For more information or to help bring Believe to your city visit their website at believesoccermovie.com.
