47
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Dallas ObserverLuke Y. ThompsonDallas ObserverLuke Y. ThompsonUnlike some other soccer movies, there's no fancy editing -- excitement is generated strictly by the actual choreography and the commentary of an English announcer.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumCoaching from the same playbook with which they made "Rudy" and "Hoosiers," director David Anspaugh and screenwriter Angelo Pizzo create a reverent fable.
- 60Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustDespite strong performances by Gerard Butler and Wes Bentley as the leaders of the two factions and crisply directed soccer action, the movie lacks a powerful central presence to carry the drama.
- 50L.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonL.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonThe final match stirs briefly, but when it's over, the movie's energy crashes right back down again. Disappointing.
- 50USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkBut Game really isn't a performer's movie. And the climactic contest (in which the Americans amazingly eked out a 1-0 win against England, considered by many to be the world's finest team at the time) is only serviceably staged.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Game of Their Lives has a great sports story to tell, yet the filmmakers fumble it away.
- 40VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerPicturesque pic, however, lacks even a penalty kick's worth of tension and is paradoxically inert for a movie about guys running up and down the pitch for the glory of the U.S.
- 38Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertObviously made with all of the best will in the world, its heart in the right place, this is a sluggish and dutiful film that plays more like a eulogy than an adventure.
- 30Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonThe dialogue and acting are flatter than a punctured ball.
- It is flat-footed, uninspired and disjointed from start to finish, a glaring disservice to the men who played the game.