Next Goal Wins (Blu-ray Review)
Taika Waititi quietly released Next Goal Wins first at Toronto International Film Festival and then in wide release in the fall of 2023. It was a film that just like so many lately came and went without much fanfare. As with all decades, we seem to get our fair share of underdog true story adaptations and we can surely add this one to the list. But does Next Goal Wins make the good list or the bad list. Find out in the review below and read all about the technical side in-depth as well! Be sure to click the cover art at the end for a paid Amazon link to grab a copy there and do your part to keep physical media alive!
Film 
Based on a true story, this heartfelt underdog comedy follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, the team hires down-on-his- luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team into winners.
Infamous is the right word for the national team of American Samoa. The team even seems just fine being the biggest losers of international soccer. Thomas Rongen, also on the short end of the stick is being asked to part ways with the American Soccer Federation, and being sent to coach in American Samoa to “get better…” on the recommendation of his ex-wife (Elizabeth Moss) and his superior (Will Arnett) who are both on the board together and may or may not be in a relationship too.
The team is full of characters, too! We have Tavita (Oscar Kightley) who is the president of the Football Federation of America Samoa (FFAS) whose son is on the team. We have Jaiyah (Kaimana in a resplendent performance) who is fa’afafine, American Samoa’s version of trans or non-binary. She takes herself off of her hormones to compete with the men, even though she proves herself to be a strong woman surrounded by sensitive and understanding men who love her and follow her guidance. We have Ace, a soft spoken coach who assists Thomas after being demoted, and others, including Nicky Salapu, who goaltended in the game that made the team famous for all the wrong reasons. Lastly, we have Rambo, one of what seems to be two police officers on the island, who happens to have an incredible kicking foot. The rag-tag team angle has been fully fulfilled.
Thomas though, is deeply depressed. He first descends into day drinking and buzzed driving, but somewhere down the line decides to try to get the team into shape. They work at it but continually keep their laid-back attitudes. The whole island is deeply religious and stops every day at the same time to pray and the team refuses to practice on Sundays too. There doesn’t seem to be a truly serious player except maybe Jaiyah, who Thomas picks on at first, showing bigotry and misunderstanding before ultimately bonding first with her and then the rest of the team. On a retreat climbing a hike-able mountain, Thomas faints and the team rallies to carry him down the mountain and into the ocean to revive him. The kind gestures Thomas receives begin to soften him and once the team reaches the World Cup qualifiers, they’ve all become friendly and understanding together.
The inevitable twists and turns abound in Next Goal Wins. It’s clear to see that Waititi’s heart is in the right place here, save for a grating cameo where he wears large fake teeth and exaggerates a most annoying accent. There are some near fatal flaws within the structure of the film. Next Goal Wins is based on a true story. We know there will be changes for dramatic effect, and comedy because it’s a Taika Waititi movie, and that’s all well and good. The flaws for me are the nearly absent character development, the disastrous relationship between Fassbender’s Thomas and his ex-wife whom he still loves but who clearly has no ideals of reconciliation for their marriage. She brushes him off and the portrayal feels insensitive and cold. One hopes the real-life former couple isn’t as icy when put together.
The American Samoan cast though, are a blast. Led by an exceptional Kaimana, who I hope we see more of in other films, the whole crew has a family dynamic. The film paints the island of American Samoa as full of kind and open-hearted and open-minded people. There’s no hatred for Jaiyah being different, and they even show her tons of love, following her lead when she becomes the team captain. I loved that aspect of Next Goal Wins the most. For me, the team is the reason to come back to the movie for repeat viewings.
Video
Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1
Layers: BD-50
Clarity/Detail: Next Goal Wins not surprisingly only gets a Blu-ray release. However, the disc is flawless and gorgeous. The whole affair is lovingly captured and shows American Samoa in a beautiful, colorful light. The warmth of the island shines through in sharp, detailed images with no flaws in sight! You can catch the actual 4K transfer on Hulu right now…
Depth: The visuals of Next Goal Wins factor largely on outdoor vistas. Blades of glass, waves of the ocean or even the dingy nature of some indoor spaces all look excellent throughout. Depth of field is handled masterfully.
Black Levels: Black levels continue the flawless nature of the film’s look. There are no instances of crush and everything we see is a treat even in the darkest moments.
Color Reproduction: Blues, greens, reds, and whites all look spectacular, bright, and very clean. There isn’t a moment that feels off anytime color-wise.
Flesh Tones: Flesh tones are also without flaw, with every skin tone looking individual, natural, and beautiful.
Noise/Artifacts: Clean.
Audio
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 2.0, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Dynamics: Next Goal Wins comes with a front heavy 5.1 lossless mix. The surrounds come to life from time to time, but only as necessary. The lower end thumps as needed, and the center channel and stereo channels all do their thing as well. This is an excellent sounding track overall.
Low Frequency Extension: Music, ocean waves, plane noise and car noise typically makes the subwoofer activate. Nothing super spectacular, but it would be silly to expect that for a relatively simple film.
Surround Sound Presentation: The sounds of nature, the sound of crowds and the sound of music often pop up in the surround channels. On my system, with the Neural:X feature enabled, the surround orientation pops up into my overheads as well. Just enough for the film, and that’s a good thing!
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is the leading necessity to move the story forward and we hear everything the way it’s supposed to be heard. No issues here.
Extras
Extras for Next Goal Wins are small, but that’s OK. What’s here is very good. A 27 minute documentary called The Pitch of Life goes in depth on the making of the film, with lots of wonderful interviews that add some depth to the film. The doc is actually a joy to watch.
A cringey deleted scene with Taika’s cameo character makes the cutting room floor and this disc. We will never miss that scene.
A digital code comes with the disc, but no slipcover or DVD.
Summary 
Next Goal Wins is an imperfect underdog story. The rag-tag team is worth the watch, with some sweet moments with some genuinely wonderful natural performances keeping things in check. Michael Fassbender doesn’t disappear into the role of Thomas Rongen, but there’s nothing to complain about with the acting. Some strange tonal moments come and go, but the film is so light, you can’t help but find some joy there. Oh, and did you know that theres a documentary of the same name from 2014? Me either… but the director of that film is a producer here and his seal of approval all but makes the two companion pieces. If you like sports films, you could do a lot worse than spending some time with Next Goal Wins. Taika Waititi continues to make quirky sweet natured films and this one goes right into the fold with the rest. I enjoyed the film, and I think viewers will find something to love here or at the very least like.
