Taika Waititi’s feel-good underdog story, Next Goal Wins, comes to Blu-Ray with a nice making-of documentary plus a deleted scene. From Searchlight Pictures, this heartwarming comedy is based on a 2014 documentary of the same name about the American Samoa football team’s unlikely small victory. As funny as any of Waititi’s films, Next Goal Wins comes with an inspiring message about perspective.
(Searchlight Pictures)
Set in 2011, the film follows Coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) as his career takes a new low, coaching the American Samoa Football Team. They haven’t scored a single goal… ever, and the only expectation of Tavita (Oscar Kightley), Head of the Football Federation of American Samoa, is that Rongen helps the team get one ball in another team’s net. Easier said than done.
The film is full of extremely likable characters, most breaking the mold of team members in your typical underdog sports film. From different levels of athleticism and body types to a trans woman on the team (Faʻafafine in Samoan culture), the group creates a dynamic unlike any I’ve ever seen on screen. The nature of a cultural outsider coming in to lead island athletes draws some similarities to Cool Runnings (also based on a true story), but Next Goal Wins has Taika Waititi’s unique stamp all over it.
Bonus Features
- Creating The Pitch of Life (26:47) – Explore filmmaker Taika Waititi’s loving homage to American Samoa, Polynesian culture, and the sports movie in this delightfully entertaining short-form documentary. See what it took to make a winning movie about the losingest soccer team in the world.
- Deleted Scene: Priest Blessing the Team (2:37) – Taika Waititi plays a song on the guitar called “Soccer Game” in the locker room to motivate the team before praying for their win.
Video
Having missed the film’s big screen run, I’m excited to say that Next Goal Wins maintains its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.00:1. The Blu-Ray presentation is very satisfying, with the brightly colored American Samoian world shining in 1080p. Taika Waititi’s approach includes many serene island shots, but during the sports climax, there are some fast-paced action sequences that also look great in this format.
Audio
The standard mix on the Blu-Ray disc is an English 5.1 DTS-HDMA option. It primarily uses the rear speakers for Michael Giacchino’s score, as well as the film’s awesome soundtrack, including “9 to 5″ by Dolly Parton, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, and “Chandelier” by Sia. Additional audio options include a 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio, plus Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital.
Packaging & Design
Next Goal Wins comes home in a standard single-disc Blu-Ray case. There’s no disc art, and the only insert is a digital copy code, redeemable through Movies Anywhere. The main menu features the team’s bus rolling into a parked position set to score.
Final Thoughts
I was sad to miss out on seeing Next Goal Wins in movie theaters, but this home video presentation is a satisfying alternative. Full of Taika Waititi’s distinct sense of humor, plus a whole lot of heart, it’s an uplifting sports comedy with a whole lot of heart. The making-of featurette offers an honest look at the film’s long journey to the screen, and the deleted scene is pure Taika hilarity.
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