Bend It Like Beckham

Timing is everything, especially for a movie like "Bend It Like Beckham." Had the film — already a smash hit in its home country of England — received its U.S. release during the summer, it surely would have been lost amid all the special-effects-heavy and celebrity-heavy studio movies.

There is no better time than now for a movie that espouses the virtues of racial and ethnic tolerance.

However, it should be said that "Beckham" is not a message movie. Instead, it's a somewhat rousing comedy designed to make you feel good about yourself and the world in general.

"Beckham" is also every bit as predictable, warm and fuzzy as you might expect it to be. But it's not quite as funny as it should be — probably because some of its humor is aimed specifically at English audiences.

Still, there's no denying its charms, especially those of its young female stars. That includes newcomer Parminder Nagra, who stars as Jesminda Bhamra. Jesminda, or Jess, as she's known to her friends, is football-crazy — or, more correctly, soccer crazy. The British teen's favorite player is British soccer star David Beckham (whose ability to "bend" shots inspired the film's title).

Jess wants nothing more than to follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately, her tradition-minded parents (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) wonder why she can't be more like her sister, Pinky (Archie Panjabi), who's agreed to an arranged marriage.

Unbeknownst to her parents, Jess befriends Jules (Keira Knightley), a teen whose mother (Juliet Stevenson) also finds the thought of her daughter participating in athletics "unbecoming." And the two wind up playing for the Hounslow Harriers, an all-girl soccer team coached by Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), whose soccer career was cut short by injury.

The ensuing love triangle — with the two girls fighting over their handsome coach — is one of the film's least convincing aspects. But that's one of relatively few missteps by writer-director Gurinda Chadha. And Nagra and Knightley have become hot properties as a result of their performances.

"Bend It Like Beckham" is rated PG-13 for scattered use of strong profanity and some crude slang terms (some sexual) brief sexual contact (done for laughs), violence (a brief scuffle) and use of some ethnic slurs. Running time: 112 minutes.

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E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com