By John Corrado

★★½ (out of 4)

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 7th to 17th.

The latest film from New Zealand director Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), Next Goals Wins is a simple crowdpleaser that tells the story of the American Samoa football team, trying to rebound following a historic loss when they finished 31-0 to Australia during a Wold Cup qualifying match in 2001.

Based on Mike Brett and Steve Jamison’s documentary of the same name, the film is set during the lead up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Seeking fresh management, the team brings in Dutch-American soccer coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) to guide them. The team knows they aren’t going to win, but as former coach Tavita (Oscar Kightley) makes clear, they just want to score a single goal. Thomas is known for his angry outbursts and heavy drinking, and this chance to turn the team around is as much a Hail Mary pass for them as it is for him.

For a production that went through various delays and reshoots (including to replace disgraced cast member Armie Hammer with Will Arnett), it’s not surprising that Next Goal Wins feels a bit slapdash in nature. Waititi, who also co-wrote the script with Iain Morris, leans into a more comedic telling of this story. But Waititi’s quirkiness actually ends up feeling like a bit of a distraction at times, including needless moments when he inserts himself as a sort of onscreen storyteller.

The film does a decent job of handling a storyline involving Jaiyah (played by solid newcomer Kaimana), a trans woman playing on the men’s team, who figured in the real life story long before this became a hot button issue. Fassbender is able to mostly carry the film with a fine performance as the coach, including a dramatic moment in the last act that works on its own, even if the lead up to it isn’t necessarily there.

Waititi’s film embraces more of a glossy, feel-good tone that doesn’t ever really grapple with deeper emotions, but this is also what he’s going for in capturing the team’s happy just to play attitudes. While Next Goal Wins is a pretty standard underdog sports movie, it’s not without some charm. The rousing moments at the end do mostly deliver, making it a modestly satisfying crowdpleaser overall.