After detours into faraway Marvel galaxies (THOR: RAGNAROK, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER) and Nazi Germany (JOJO RABBIT), Taika Waititi has now almost returned home. With NEXT GOAL WINS, the New Zealander goes to American Samoa in the South Pacific to tell a soccer story based on a true story that happened over 10 years ago.

A professional coach from the US is hired for the national team of the small archipelago, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States. The team operates like a hobby team, so their aim is to finally make their first successful goal. But Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) - after a personal stroke of fate - brings frustration, harsh drill methods, and an alcohol problem instead of real motivation.

How both sides, the coach and the team (in which the trans and fa'afafine player Jaiyah proves to be particularly gifted), ultimately have to get used to each other and pull themselves together in order to ultimately celebrate their own success story does not come as too much of a surprise. Though Waititi shows little interest in soccer, NEXT GOAL WINS - true story or not - works according to tried and tested sports film tropes.


The conventional narrative style and the weak screenplay rarely does justice to the appealing setting and the interesting secondary aspects and characters in the story. Even when it comes to the weird humor and the original ideas, which Waititi is usually known for, the director is somehow on autopilot, and this includes a cameo. But the chill, charming moments and the fact that the heart is in the right place ensures that it avoids being a complete failure.

Patrick Heidmann

Translation: Elinor Lewy