Talking About Stuff, with Mike and Christiana

Speaking of Feel-Good Sports Movies, I happened to catch this one last night.



Shaolin Soccer is a Chinese film made by Stephen Chow, and it's weird, but extremely fun.

Basically it takes the standard formula for Hollywood sports movies and follows it in a very disciplined way.

"Ex-player with problem is now coach with unfinished business, needs to put together a team. Assembles a team composed of an earnest leader with something to prove, and a number of people who have potential, but need to be reminded of their own confidence. They suck at first, but they train hard, and they improve. They get pretty good, and they're winning, but then they reach the finals and they must defeat the reigning champions, a despicable team that will be mean and cheat at every opportunity, and is of course managed by the coach's old rival." Oh, and how could I forget "the player who refuses to play until they show up just in the nick of time for the final game."

To demonstrate how strictly Shaolin Soccer follows that formula, the reigning champions are actually named "Team Evil."

Okay, so it's a sports movie. So what?

Well, here comes the twist. The earnest team leader is a Kung Fu master who is convinced that Kung Fu can make anybody's life better, but nobody will listen to him. So he decides that to win the soccer championship using his Kung Fu skills will show everybody how useful they can be. The rest of the team are all of his former Kung Fu classmates, all of whom have given up their skills and taken day jobs. He must inspire them to take up their powers again and together, they must learn to be a great soccer team.

If I haven't already sold you, then let me say this:

This is not "real" Kung Fu. This is cartoon Kung Fu. Dragonball Z mixed with Pai Mei mixed with the Matrix. When kicked, the ball becomes a flaming fireball that knocks the opposing players out of the way like bowling pins hit by a cannonball, literally sending them flying into the air. A player known as "lightweight" actually seems to fly through the air, a la "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". When the goalie spins the ball on one finger, it creates a vortex of air and grass clippings that trails behind the ball like a vapor trail.

It's incredibly goofy and fun and a hell of an entertaining time. And if all that weren't enough, there is plenty of physical comedy and one-liners to be found as well.

The movie is available on DVD, but I caught it on TV, probably because they are promoting Stephen Chow's new film, Kung Fu Hustle, which opens in limited release on Friday. You can see the trailer right here. It looks like lots of fun as well, so if starts playing anywhere near you, you should definitely make a point to see it, not merely because you'll enjoy it, but also to show theaters and distributors that there is a market for these films!

Also, check out this interview with Stephen Chow.