BECKHAM REVIEW

I don’t normally like football documentaries. I feel that there is enough excitement on the pitch in real time and the footballers themselves often don’t offer any real insights into “the beautiful game.” They are just not my cup of tea. 

However, ‘Beckham’ surprised me in its depiction of a surprisingly reticent star and the documentary became by its end an emotional and touching portrayal of an often-reluctant footballer.

The four-part series starts off following a young 15-year-old David at Manchester United and his father son relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson which eventually turned rather fraught. It was also interesting to watch the dynamic between Beckham, his demanding and strict father Ted and his Mother Sandra who comes across as unconditionally supportive.

It also shows the man behind the glamour right up to the present day, with him pottering around his country house, whether collecting honey from his beehives or cooking in his spotless kitchen.

His rise as a member of “the class of 92”, where himself and others such as the Neville brothers transitioned from the youth team at Man Utd to the backbone of the treble winning team of 1999 is skilfully told.

It’s not all a happy story however, as the series discusses the 1998 red card he received against Argentina which saw England knocked out of the World Cup and the months of targeted hatred, abuse and threats he got as he became the scapegoat for the teams failure to progress in the tournament. This is one of my favourite segments as you see Beckham being honest and vulnerable about the situation. He made a mistake, but he should never have got the abuse he did and the negative press he received was more of an indictment of the negativity surrounding passion in football rather than his own actions.

How he then managed to become captain of England and a world superstar is a testament to his drive and determination as well as his skill as a footballer.

Beckham became integral to Man Utd’s success and his love of the club is obvious and quite moving. It becomes more so when the documentary shows his relationship with Ferguson deteriorating as his love affair with Spice Girl Victoria makes him front page news. His manager disapproved of their courting of the press and David’s search for independence away from his sometimes-overbearing influence. This culminated in the “Bootgate Scandal” where Sir Alex kicked a boot into Beckhams face at half-time cutting him above the eye. The leak of the story seemed to kill their relationship once and for all and it wasn’t long before David moved on.

The series follows his subsequent move to Real Madrid, touching on the affair scandal that arose there and David still seems coy to reveal the full story. I didn’t really know much about Victoria, but she seems very ambitious and during the documentary I felt sorry for her at times as she balanced life between England and Spain as well as bringing up their children.

California was his next move, playing for LA Galaxy where his global status increased further and then his final years playing on loan at AC Milan and Paris St Germain. After his footballing career was over, he transitioned into becoming a club owner in Florida with Inter Miami CF. 

While having plenty of football action I enjoyed the man behind the spotlight. There are lots of funny moments with Beckham wearing Sarongs, his different haircuts, and his flamboyant purple wedding.

This show has got some great comic lines such as when Victoria states, “I wasn’t into football then; I’m not into football now”. 

The talking heads and interviews with teammates, managers and friends were a great touch as it gives the documentary context and texture, so it is not just football based. A directing style I liked was when the camera fixes its lens directly onto its contributors reacting to archive footage of them playing. The viewer gazes at them and feels their emotion and it communicates their love of the game beautifully. The creativity of the editing is different but always keeps the audience engaged. 

Throughout the documentary your perception of David Beckham, from a young boy to global celebrity is a true rag to riches story. However, even though the series shows the private man, for me he remains an enigma. 

Even if you don’t like football, you are still going to enjoy this documentary and I would highly recommend it as a very human story.

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *