Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightly in Bend It Like Beckham
The Orpheum has returned to screening films, albeit socially distanced and at a reduced capacity. This Friday, September 18th, Memphis’ oldest theater presents one of the most beloved sports movies of all time.
Bend It Like Beckham was one of 2002’s most successful releases, bringing in $104 million on a paltry $6 million budget. It’s also, without a doubt, the most popular soccer (um … football) film of all time. It’s significant that it’s a film about women struggling against their culture to be allowed to play the sport they love.
Parminder Nagra stars as Jess Bhamra, a young Sikh living in London who falls in love with footie. Her traditional family don’t think women should be playing in front of people “half naked,” and forbid her to pursue her passion. But she ignores them, and with the help of her friend Jules (Keira Knightley, in her breakthrough role), her team is invited to Hamburg for a match that could lead to big things for the high school players.
In addition to Nagra, who went on to a starring role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Knightley, who became the heroine of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Bend It Like Beckham also helped introduce Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the British actor who, among other roles, earned a Golden Globe for playing Elvis Presley in 2005.
Showtime this Friday is 7 p.m. Masks and social distancing will be strictly enforced. You can buy tickets at the Orpheum Theatre website.
The Orpheum Wants You to Bend It Like Beckham
