I know what you're thinking and no, this is not an exercise video with David Beckham, this is a movie inspired by David Beckham. Who, you ask is David Beckham? Well, he's the most popular futbol player in Europe, he's like Micheal Jordan except white, and handsome, and he doesn't promote hot dogs or over-priced sneakers (from what I know), but Beckham must be really popular if there is a movie devoted to the concept of people trying to be like him.

Like the charmer "Like Mike" this takes a very popular sports star and uses it as a foundation for a story that motivates characters. This film which spawned a lot of positive reaction from movie-goers during 2003 tells the tale of Jess played by the beautiful Parminder Nagra from "ER", she is the youngest in a traditional Hindu family who still follows the tradition of arranged marriages, and traditional garbs and whatnot, but loves to play futbol, and plays it with an all boys team against her parents wishes. She is recruited one day by Jules, a professional futbol player who asks Jess to play for her professional team in which they'll be coached by the potential love interest for the two and maybe Jess and Jules will be recruited into the American futbol team, but not if her mother and father have anything to say about it.

I was quite interested in what would turn up because there's hardly ever films that rely on acting anymore. A surefire girl power film that parents should watch with their young daughters, this is indeed a charmer. Never serious even when it should be, everything in the film is presented with such a light hearted fashion that it will prove to be some family entertainment worth sitting down to. Now while some of the situations border on edgy like the running gag during the film in which both families of Jules and Jess think they're lesbian, but it's mostly just intended as a gag.

This import also manages to bring some entirely entertaining scenes to audiences everywhere with characters we can care about including the beautiful Parminda Nagra (ER) who is very charming as the strong willed Jess who is desperate to break away from the traditions of arranged marriages and gowns. Jess is a strong character to root for throughout the film as we watch her hold her own in an all boys team and then find out its harder in a professional all girls team. She's often times very fun to watch and we want good things to happen to her as we do Jules played by the beautiful Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Love Actually) who is the more free spirited of the two and a lot more charismatic.

The film is just a light hearted romp more intended to or suited to the young generation of preteen girls, but this is also an entertaining movie all around. The work out scenes are fun, the drama is not too heavy, and the jokes are really funny especially when delivered by the quirky characters including the domineering parents of Jess, and Jules' eccentric mother who becomes nervous about her daughter's suspected sexuality. It's satisfying and all the while entertaining to watch from start to finish, it's a coming of age tale about characters driven by a goal, and you can't help but smiling.

There's just a lot of fluff here, and it seems to bog down the story along with too many subplots and themes. We see a lot of sub-plots during the film that are set-up but never finished. We can see an obvious romantic spark between Jess and her Hindu teammate in her boys team but it's hinted and never finished, so we're left with a feeling of incompletion that it's never really justified to the audience and ultimately it feels like filler or just tacked on to the story, then there's the subplot between Knightley's character and Meyers' character which is not only never finished but is just all over the place.

Were they ever together? Are they ex'? Does she have a crush on him? Does he know she likes him? And so much more questions that are never answered, so again, it's just so awkward and tacked on that we feel like we're wasting our time. There are so many sub-plots during the film we're never sure if this is meant to be an episodic film or a film revolving around one person with sub-plots.

There's the main subplot, then the romance subplot between Nagra and Meyers, then Knightley, the character Jess' parents, Knightley's parents and on and on to the point where we lose focus of the actual story which is to see if the character Jess is able to compete in the competition and make it on the US team. Knightley who is very good in the role and caught American boys' eyes with this role is a great supporting actress but we never get the feel for her character or her personality despite the fact she plays an important role in the film and the progression of the plot.

Considering the movie was originally written where Knightley and Nagra's character fall in love with each other, there's not much for Knightley's character Jules to do in the film, but during the story it's hinted that the two take a liking to one another which is never resolved, however the writing makes good use of that as comedic value when both families think the two are lesbian lovers.

As well, there is too much fluff during the film that there's no emotional impact during the dramatic scenes. Situations and themes in the film are approached with such trivial attitudes that it makes it hard for us to care for the characters of the tribulations they experience such as romantic conflicts, Jess being discovered in the girls team despite her parents refusal, and Jess' unwillingness to follow tradition and break out as her own person. There's such a thing as featuring drama in a comedy without it becoming depressing or heavy in mood. ultimately while the film is ripe with entertainment, it's just so scattered we're never fully satisfied with the climax, because there's very little resolution.

While full of fluff, too many sub plots that detract from the actual story, and just some themes that go nowhere, this is also a very entertaining, well acted story that teen girls will love.

• In the original plot, main characters Jess and Jules were in love with each other, not with Joe.
• Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) was the original choice to play Joe.
• Many of the wedding guests are relatives of director Gurinder Chadha and added realism by throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the scenes and treating the shoot as if it were a real wedding.
• Jess wears number 7 for the Hounslow Harriers, the same number David Beckham wears for England and once wore for Manchester United.
• Star Parminder Nagra was worried that the scar on her leg would prevent her from getting the role of Jess. Instead, the scar - and the story behind it - were worked into the script.
• Although football (soccer) star David Beckham and the term "bend" are well-known throughout most of the world, they are virtually unknown in the U.S. As such, when the time came for the film's U.S release, 20th Century Fox marketing execs suggested changing the title to "Move it like Mia", alluding to U.S. football star Mia Hamm. Director Gurinder Chadha objected to the name change and the film was released with its original title.
• Though their characters are roughly the same age, in reality there is a 10 year age gap between Parminder Nagra born 1975 and Kiera Knightly born 1985.

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