‘Next Goal Wins’ Review: Taika Waititi Does a Stock ‘Ted Lasso’ Riff in American Samoa-Set Soccer Comedy
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic Does it count as a white savior movie if the white character is the one who needs saving? In “Next Goal Wins,” the world’s top-grossing indigenous director, Taika Waititi, retells the story of how American Samoa went from having the world’s worst soccer team to, well, not the worst.
While a white man was involved, the movie — which suggests how a film like “Cool Runnings” might be made with 30 years’ more cultural enlightenment — is mostly about how their coach (Michael Fassbender) needs an attitude adjustment.
Come to think of it, that’s essentially the formula for most white savior movies. In 2001, the American Samoa soccer team set a world record.
They lost the World Cup Qualification game 31-0. Apparently, they only got worse from there. Enter Fassbender’s character, Thomas Rongen, a hothead with an alcohol problem and an emotional backstory which the movie keeps up its sleeve until halftime of the climactic game.
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