The Beautiful Game

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2:17

The Beautiful Game

PG-13

2024

2h 4m

Drama

Sports

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England's homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he's ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup,The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances -- where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything's to play for.

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Critics Consensus

The Beautiful Game has an undeniable warmth that further elevates an already irresistible true story, helping this inspirational drama score despite a reliance on well-worn clichés.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Apr 30, 2026

2.5/4

Ultimately, it all comes down to Ward and Nighy... They seemed to believe they were in a better movie than the one they were in, and for stretches of time, they make us believe them.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Dec 31, 2024

3/5

What we have here is an efficient compilation of the hoariest sporting cliches given a breath of life by some charming actors.

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Robert Levin

Newsday

Apr 8, 2024

2/4

There's hardly anything in “The Beautiful Game” that audiences have not seen a thousand times before. And that's unfortunate, because the Homeless World Cup has dramatic potential that transcends the underdog story archetype.

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Lissete Lanuza Sáenz

Fangirlish

Apr 30, 2026

Sports movies are all, deep down, about what it means to be part of a team. The Beautiful Game does showcase the benefits of teamwork, camaraderie, and companionship, but it goes, perhaps, a bit further.

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Christopher Connor

Loud and Clear Reviews

Oct 1, 2024

3.5/5

Bill Nighy and Michael Ward elevate Netflix sports drama The Beautiful Game, an underdog story that feels reminiscent of Ted Lasso.

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James Marsh

South China Morning Post

May 9, 2024

3/5

The Beautiful Game sets out to make a breezy, entertaining and uplifting film about the unifying power of team sports, while shying away from the darker recesses of its characters’ predicaments.

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VeroKen T

@VeroKen Oct 6, 2026

A cast of amusingly quirky characters take us on a Roman holiday, as underdogs in a soccer match. A fun ride!

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Lucas H

@RT19546852 Mar 25, 2026

Great movie and displays the true beauty of football

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Feb 9, 2026

Based on a true story in 2 hours and 4 minutes. Rated PG-13 for Some Language, A Suggestive Reference, Drug Reference and Brief Partial Nudity.

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Carlos M

@CarlosMZ Aug 28, 2025

Si te gusta el futbol y las peliculas que dejan mensajes buenos definitivamente tienes que ver esta pelicula no le hagan mucho caso a los haters recalco que esta pelicula se disfruta mas si te gusta mucho el futbol porque todos los paises nos une eso el futbol en esta peli no tanto con palabras.

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Mohammad M

@RT93540522 Jul 13, 2025

Absolutely a thrill to watch it actually had me so impressed that Netflix can produce such a masterpiece i know im not a critic or a movie watcher but when I see this movie I cant help myself but to put a review excellent work !

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 May 13, 2025

A humbling picture compositing stories to become its own respectfully giving this phenomenon wider recognition to those who favor a supposedly uplifting sports story. It actually ditches the formulaic tendency of predictability, despite the element getting forgone amid captivation, and focuses on the meaningful, humane impact between unsung skills and demonstrates how the physically strategic outlet not only inspires but also unites, alongside the sense of hope. It may not score as high, even when such is irrelevant, it’s a feel-good film that minimally cheers. (B)

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Thea Sharrock

Director

Bill Nighy

Mal

Susan Wokoma

Protasia

Callum Scott Howells

Nathan

Kit Young

Cal

Sheyi Cole

Jason

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Synopsis

Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England's homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he's ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup,The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances -- where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything's to play for.

Director: Thea Sharrock
Producer: Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, Colin Farrell, Ben Knight, Anita Overland
Screenwriter: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Blueprint Pictures, Film4, Wildside
Rating: PG-13 (Drug Reference|Brief Partial Nudity|A Suggestive Reference|Some Language)
Genre: Drama, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 25, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2024
Runtime: 2h 4m

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