Gregory's Girl meets Brassed Off - or Brosnan meets the Channel 4 style of film-making and loses. You probably need to be rural British to appreciate the rigours of amateur football played on pitches utilised (and fertilised) by farm stock for the rest of the week. And it would also help if you understand the dedication to one pub over and above another. The real problem is the total predictability; no-one could possibly deny the inevitable outcome and although there are a few laughs en route it's a journey hardly worth bothering with. If there's nothing else on then switch off brain and press start. It's totally harmless fun and good triumphs over evil. But for really good films about football then try Gregory's Girl or the classic "Ripping Yarn" of Michael Palin's Barnstoneworth United made by BBC TV many years ago.
Review of The Match
