by Phillip Ellis

Created on: May 06, 2008

On the face of it this interesting and rather comical true story documentary on five English guys who backpacked across North and South America to meet their hero Marradona is a life affirming tale of how travel and adventure liberates all. We are told that the guys, who are all freestyle soccer players (guys who do tricks with a soccer ball), have lived their lives waiting for this moment to meet the man who invented and bought freestyle trickery to the attention of the world.

There's nothing the great Maradona can't do with the ball and for me he was the best player I ever saw play live - Barcelona versus Seville in the Nou Camp my special moment. But for the boys the little man had long since retired, so, with the help of first time filmmakers Ben and Abe Turner, realized their dream by trying to hustle their way across the States and Central America to try and meet their hero by using the very ball skills he inspired them to learn. With little money in their pocket and the only way to get there is to hustle with those skills it makes for a fun and emotional trip

The main problem with this enjoyable film is its credibility, subtly questioned in the audio commentary and DVD extras, you the viewer having to decide how much help the boys get on their budget trip and so how real the obvious struggle was. At first glance the dust cover gives us the impression they are five mates who have met through free-styling. But after you watch this enjoyable movie it soon becomes apparent in the 'making of' in the DVD extras that they have been auditioned for this project, the director looking for five top free styling guys who would make a good movie, rather than guys with the same dream, perhaps suggesting the producers preferred the fact that some of the boys would row and bitch their way across America as tempers rise and personalities clash. It's irresistible in documentaries to not have abrasive characters and so it's the case here, working class lads that have never been away from England (so we are told) living out of a backpack away from familiar urban jungles soon finding splits in the group. Painting some of these guys as people who have never seen the world was slightly erroneous film making if you ask me, but nevertheless it's true story and makes for life affirming documentary film making that we demand as a consumer these days. How contrived it is must be the big question here, although it doesn't show to the un-cynical eye

The guys are:

Mike Fisher is a chirpy

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