Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Taika Waititi, Will Arnett, Elisabeth Moss  
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 103 mins

Next Goal Wins is the latest from Taika Waititi, a sports comedy drama about Dutch-American coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) and his efforts to lead the American Samoa national football team. Prior to his involvement, the team were regarded as the weakest football team in the world, most famous for their embarrassing 31-0 loss to Australia in an Oceanian qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The hot-tempered and washed-up Rongen attempts to train them for World Cup qualification in 2014, where their first match will be against Tonga but struggles due to their lack of cohesion and discipline.

American Samoa is portrayed as an insular community, with almost everyone working second or third jobs and there is a blanket 20mph speed limit (although apparently 30mph in reality). It’s certainly a natural fit for Waititi’s whimsical nature with a strong back catalogue of quirky comedies. Considering Waititi has since transitioned to bigger budget fare with Thor: Ragnarok and its controversial sequel Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s refreshing to see Waititi return to the genre that ignited his career. 

Although Next Goal Wins is deeply flawed and has a rough-and-ready construction, it’s ultimately still a fun film with plenty of laughs and an amiable, feel-good nature. What allow his best comedies, such as Hunt For The Wilderpeople or What We Do In The Shadows, to succeed is his divergence from typical genre codes and conventions and it isn’t quite clear in Next Goal Wins whether Waititi knowingly adheres to or is trying to mock the generic constructs of the underdog sports comedy. The script, penned by Waititi and The Inbetweeners mastermind Iain Morris, packs itself full of quips and whilst perhaps two thirds of the jokes land, the remaining that don’t really don’t. While Waititi rarely strays from the established formula, the decision to reframe the second half of the football match as a second-hand memory is refreshing and allows the film to really stick the landing. 

The performances are a mixed bag. Revered for his colder performances in films such as The Killer, Michael Fassbender feels miscast as Rongen in what is arguably his first comedic role and his performance clashes oddly with the Samoan American community, although this is arguably by design to capture the disconnect. Elisabeth Moss and Will Arnett (who replaced Armie Hammer after abuse allegations came to light meaning the film was delayed) offer odd performances and fail to justify their limited screen time. 

There’s some great performances from the Samoan American characters however, with Oscar Kightley, hilarious as the inept policeman in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the standout as the loveable team manager. Kaimana is also brilliant as Jaiyah Saelua, a non-binary player who is initially treated with utter contempt by Rongen. 

The film’s nicely shot by Lachlan Milne, who also shot Hunt For The Wilderpeople, although it’s odd he doesn’t capture the beauty of the mountains when he’s given the chance to. The original score by Michael Giacchino didn’t do much for me, with the jukebox choices faring better.

Next Goal Wins is ultimately an odd film by Waititi and isn’t one of his best considering his more subversive filmography. Still, it just about succeeds with its feel-good energy and a large proportion of its jokes to make it a fun experience. Check out Champions if you’re after a more consistent underdog sports comedy this year, which stars Woody Harrelson as a similarly washed-up coach who’s tasked with guiding a team of disabled players as community service. 

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)