coverplex-12802 Very inspirational. Absolute outstanding talent portraited very well here in this movie

voxrockulis A generous 6.5 for a Disney-fied feel-good drama of Pele's life story. The story goes exactly as you would expect it.The writing is a bit weak and lacking experience. For example (This is the spoiler), a young Pele plays with a bunch of rich kids who daydream of playing like famous footballers, each saying "I'm this guy" "I'm that guy" - Pele interjects and says "and I'm Pele!" to which the other kids ask: "Who?"Pele explains that he's pretending to be the Vasco de Gama keeper and the kids laugh at him and correct him, "It's Bilé."Then they say "Hey, let's call this boy Pele" - in real life (or in a better script) they would not have this "decision" moment, but would just start calling him Pele, like a "see you later, Pele!" not something as contrived as "Hey everyone, we have decided to call this boy Pele because it's funny. This is a good idea." Poor script-writing. The did this same thing with "Hey let's all call this team the shoeless ones" instead of just going straight for shoeless jokes like "lace up!" or more cruel jokes like "If you beat us I'll lend you my old boots."An even better story for the Pele name sticking would be for the rich kids to completely forget the boy until they meet him in a tournament match. When they were talking about him, the rich kids could say "Who?" (are we facing?) because they didn't actually know his real name and one of them could say "that Pele boy" which is the way people actually talk.This movie was filled with these lots opportunities and weak moments with unnatural dialogue. The scriptwriter can't hide behind language issues because the dialogues sound contrived even in Portuguese. Bullies don't say "hey, what do you guys think of this nickname for this boy we could all start using? Do you agree that it is a good one to use to taunt him?" They just use it, they don't have a meeting or vote about it. It felt like those anti-bullying educational videos they show to kids where the bully says "I do not like you because you look different. From now on I will do this to you." "I want to smoke because I feel like an adult doing it and it is cool." Pele's football skill also makes no sense. His skills fluctuate from world class to garbage class and back with no explanation whatsoever. They could've made it about the pressure of the national team, locker room problems, family problems, love, something that explains his drop, but nopes. His skill just drops in the second act so that it can come back at the right time "because 3 acts."Even as a Disneyfied feel-good story, they could've done a better job.I started the review giving this film seven stars, but the more I thought about it the more it felt too generous. I dropped it to 6.5.Don't get me wrong. It's enjoyable, but it's two wasted opportunities - they could've made a great, hard-hitting dramatic biopic (something similar to, but better than Heleno) or they could've made a better feel-good film. They didn't do either. They chose the easier option and still failed. This film will surely have cooled any interest in making a better Pele movie of either variety.

My-Two-Cent This is one of the worst films I've EVER seen & that's a shame because I grew up & fan of Pele' & looked at him as almost a mythical character with his ability to make opposing teams look as if they are playing the game for the first time so when I saw it was a film about the life of Pele' I couldn't wait to watch but then I pressed play & all that excitement went out the window..! First off, it's the life of Pele' so of course that start with Pele' as a child & instead of showing us his childhood they tried to make it funny in which that & a lot of the scenes just didn't work.. Especially the part where they have a play by play announcer on a PA at a game that Pele' & his teammates are so poor that they aren't just barefoot but shirtless as well then the "my Mother & father both have horrible low paying jobs & since I don't want to end up like them Id better make this football/soccer thing work" shtick was agonizingly painful to watch as was the rest of this film but as with all films that I start I show the respect to watch until the end no matter how badly I want to gouge the eyes outta my head with a rusty screwdriver & sadly I've lost an hour & forty three minutes of my life that I would have rather used staring at the sun as I poured rubbing alcohol into paper cuts..! But that's just My-Two-Cent

scottshak_111 It is not a good sports movie, but it is definitely a great entertainer if you are looking for something really frivolous to go with your frolic mood. It seems to have been helmed for those who aren't really big fans of the game.PELE: BIRTH OF A LEGEND IS BASED ON PELE'S LIFE Pele: Birth of a Legend will let you have a glimpse into the life of Pele the true legendary footballer and throw some light towards his madding fad. Things that were pulling him down were all around him, and despite all the odds he shone through.The movie tries to capture his street football shenanigans, adds in some humour, a pinch of dramatic spices and tries to bring in the forefront the popular Brazilian Ginga style that was Pele's USP.DOWNSIDES OF THE MOVIE Despite how Pele: Birth of a Legend lodges in you some good vibes, it falls flat owing to its pathetic depiction. You constantly see drops of frustration on Pele's brows, which really takes a toll on your spirits. If you are really looking for something extraordinary to happen given the mammoth sports figure he is, the movie lets you down so many times, you constantly wonder if something out of the box is going to happen. Even though it does, it is nothing akin what happens in a gut-wrenching live sports match.Leonardo Lima Carvalho was a pleasant find. He made young Pele really endearing. His group shenanigans were a delight to watch. The starting bits of the movie were the best moments I would say. Even Seu Jorge who played Dondinho was great. Vincent D'Onofrio unfortunately had very little to play with in his baggage, but he performed his bits nicely.SPOILERS DRIBBLING AHEAD Melodrama has been deliberately pushed in its frames and there is so much of it that it becomes really exhausting at times. When in the middle of the game players go in bullet mode to have a look at each other, you can almost imagine how implausible its dramatic elements must be.THE LOST PELE CAMEO There is a guest appearance by the legend himself at one point, which will bring a smile to your face. But that's about it. Eventually you get to see one game in Pele: Birth of a Legend, but then it is smitten with so much melodrama that sports simply gets lost in those pointless close-up frames. Nothing wrong with watching it once though.Read all my reviews here: http://straightfromamovie.com