This film was a quiet hit at the 2002 Sydney Film Festival, guaranteeing its mainstream release. Yes, its release also coincided with World Cup Fever, but apart from the soccer angle, the film is a clever mix of teen angst and cultural dilemmas.

Jess confides her daily frustrations to David Beckham, posters of whom plaster her bedroom walls. Jess's determination to play soccer causes considerable distress to her traditional Punjabi Sikh family, which has greater academic goals and traditional roles in mind. Her friend Jules (Knightley) encourages Jess to join the local all-girl soccer team, coached by Joe (Rhys-Meyers). The usual dilemmas ensue: the girls' families are horrified (Juliet Stephenson, as Jules's mum, is brilliant), friendships are tested, jealousies arise, and a few cultural and colonial norms are gently nudged.

It's hardly a profound film, but it does have some good laughs, good eye candy, and more depth than the usual teen-romance dross. Apart from anything else, it's great to see a film of its genre without half the cast of 'Dawson's Creek' or 'Party of Five'. It's a feel-good flick that might have you taking out, or dusting off, the gym membership.