When we first see Vinny (Michael Ward), he is watching a group of children play soccer.  (Yes, I know that both this movie and the rest of the world calls it football.  I grew up calling it soccer.)  He looks at the jerseys of the players and provides a running commentary as they play.  “We’ve got David Beckham, we’ve got a big Messi, we’ve got a little Messi, we’ve got a classic Brazilian Messi….”  Finally, Vinny runs out onto the field and kicks the ball himself until the parents of the children tell him to go away.

Watching Vinny is a legendary scout named Mal Bradley (Bill Nighy).  Mal approaches Vinny and convinces to come meet his “dream team,” a collection of homeless men who all play soccer.  Mal explains that the men are going to be representing England at the annual Homeless World Cup tournament in Rome.  Teams made up of homeless from all over the world will be competing.  Mal explains that it’s not all about winning.  It’s about giving the players a chance to prove something to themselves.  Mal reveals that he wants Vinny to join the team.  Vinny announces that he’s not homeless.  He has a job.  He has a family.  Vinny then goes to the car in which he is currently living.

Eventually, Vinny changes his mind and agrees to accompany the team to Rome.  The team is welcoming but Vinny still struggles to open up to them.  Some of it is due to his pride.  Unlike his teammates, Vinny actually did once play professional soccer, though not for long.  Some of it is due to Vinny being in denial about his status as a homeless person.  When a teammate opens up about being a recovering heroin addict, Vinny leaves the room.  When one player reveals that he’s a compulsive gambler and another talks about his own failures as a father, Vinny tries to change the subject.  What Vinny doesn’t know is that he and Mal have a past connection, one that has left Mal wracked with guilt.

There’s a lot going on in The Beautiful Game.  The film focuses on Vinny, Mal, and England’s team but it also finds room for subplots involving the Italian team, the South African team, the American team, and the Japanese team.  Adlar (Robin Nazari), a Kurdish refugee who plays for England, has to decide whether to play against a team led by a player who was on the opposite side of the Syrian Civil War.  Sister Protasia (Susan Wokoma), coach of the South African team, struggles to get a visa for one of her players.  Rosita (Christina Rodlo) of the American team hopes to play well enough to receive a college scholarship.  Mika (Aoi Okuyama), the young coach of the Japanese team, struggles to inspire her older players.  It can sometimes be difficult to keep track of it all but, at the same time, it does capture the idea of the Homeless World Cup being a truly international event, one that gives hope and opportunity to people across the world.  For Rosita and Vinny, the competition is a way to change the direction of their lives.  For the Japanese team, the competition is way to see the world and enjoy themselves.  And for Mal, the competition is a chance to give something back to the game that he loves.

The Beautiful Game is overlong and a bit overstuffed but it still occasionally brought tears to my mismatched eyes.  It’s a film with a big heart but enough of an edge that it avoids the trap of being overly sentimental.  It’s a well-acted film, especially by Michael Ward and Bill Nighy.  In the end, I think my favorite performances came from Aoi Okuyama and the members of the Japanese team.  Early on, they say that all they want to do is score one goal against another team.  When they do, their joy is infectious.  One might even say it’s beautiful.