Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Better Late Then Never

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

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

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.

...because I don't remember when I saw a movie that was so highly clichéd... Wow. It looks really good but the story has every cliché that you've ever seen. It's remarkable really.All the tropes, clichés and tragedies are there. From rags to riches. Skipping the football shoes in a pivotal moment to play bare feet. Getting ridiculed for that. Somber music in notable beats. Beating the over class. Getting ridiculed for that before that. Friends that lose their lives. Promises. Full Metal Jacket style training. Losing faith, only to regain it.. Christ almighty. Why do people like this movie?I need to read the other reviews.

I watched this film (or at least as much as I could take) on a plane journey today, and was appalled how what was clearly an amazing story of (literally) rags to riches was given a total Hollywood make-over, for example, the bullying, much older rich kids making fun of the poor kids and (almost) getting their comeuppance as soon as the poor kids took off their football boots (OK, Pele did start playing barefoot, but why overdramatise it? Oh, let's not forget the inevitable fat boy and the compulsory short-sighted kid. And it was full of anachronism - I mean, Brazilian kids in the 1940's getting together for pre-game American- sports-type huddles? Pele's story was fantastic enough without the overdramatic hype.