Review of Pele: Birth of a Legend

This is the best soccer film ever made by far, and one of the best sport films ever made because of several factors; the production values are much better than the vast majority of other sport films and the list of great sport films is pretty short: they would include 42 (Jackie Robinson), Jim Thorpe, All American, Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, Fear Strikes Out (Jimmy Piersall), Knute Rockne, Rudy, and the granddaddy of all sport films: Pride of the Yankees. There have been a handful of other good sports films, but generally speaking the afore-mentioned are the best-known and well-remembered. One could also add Babe to the list because of the great job done by John Goodman. The star of this is not the actors (although the actors, especially the father, give excellent performances. No, the star of this film is the style of soccer that Brazil plays. In American basketball, it would be akin to shake and bake, a description of black playground basketball style that was immortalized by players like Earl Monroe, Allen Iverson, and even Pete Maravich, the best white shake and bake player of all time. Unlike these hot dogs, who seldom won any championships, Pele won three. That is what puts him above these others. There are all-time greats in every sport who color outside the box, and Pele is the greatest of those. The characterization of the father is one of the best elements of the film and the mango sequences were mesmerizing. Highly Recommended.