Shot in 2019, Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Finally Screens to Mediocre Reviews

Principal photography on Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” began in November of 2019 and ended in January 2020. After multiple delays, which included extensive reshoots, the film finally premiered yesterday evening in Toronto.

Mediocre reviews from Variety, THR, Collider, The Daily Beast, IndieWire and Screen. Then there’s Deadline’s Pete Hammond who actually liked the film. Me? I’m on the fence with the film’s mediocrity, which is likeable, using sports genre cliches to entertain, but feels too routine. However, last night’s easy-to-please TIFF audience ate it up.

The movie isn’t half bad, but there’s no reason for its existence. It’s fairly similar to the genre popularized by “The Bad News Bears” and “Slap Shot,” not to mention “The Mighty Ducks”, “Rookie of the Year”, “Cool Runnings” and “Remember the Titans”.

The film stars Michael Fassbender (the best part of the movie) and Elisabeth Moss and will be released on November 17th. This means that “Next Goal Wins” will premiere almost exactly four years since its production began.

Fassbender plays Dutch professional soccer coach, Thomas Rongen and his attempt to turn the American Samoa soccer team into winners. Co-starring with Fassbender and Moss in the movie are Will Arnett and Rhys Darby

Delays were initially caused due to Armie Hammer being in the movie. Hammer was accused of sexual assault after it had already been shot. His was a side character so the movie wasn’t scrapped. Instead, Will Arnett replaced Hammer during reshoots of the soccer comedy.

Waititi’s last movie, “Jojo Rabbit,” won the coveted TIFF People’s Choice Award in 2019. It went on to be nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. It also, somehow, won Best Adapted Screenplay that year.

Waititi is coming off the critical drubbing his “Thor: Love and Thunder” received last year. He was set to shoot his live-action version of “Akira” in the fall.

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