Pelé: Birth of a Legend

Pelé: Birth of a Legend
File:Pelé (film poster).jpg Production poster
Directed by	Jeff Zimbalist Michael Zimbalist
Produced by	Brian Grazer Ivan Orlic
Written by	Jeff Zimbalist Michael Zimbalist
Starring	Kevin de Paula Vincent D'Onofrio Rodrigo Santoro Diego Boneta Colm Meaney
Music by	A. R. Rahman
Cinematography	Matthew Libatique
Edited by	Glen Scantlebury Naomi Geraghty Luis Carballar
Production company	Imagine Entertainment Seine Pictures
Distributed by	IFC Films
Release dates	May 6, 2016 (2016-05-06) (United States)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Pelé: Birth of a Legend is an American biographical film about the early life of Brazilian footballer Pelé. The film is directed and written by Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist.

The film stars Kevin de Paula, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rodrigo Santoro, Diego Boneta and Colm Meaney. The film is centered on the relationship between the character Pele and his father.

The principal photography commenced in Rio de Janeiro in September 2013 and later, entirely filmed in Brazil until late 2014.The film was released to negative critical response, film critics pointing out the flaws in narrative, criticising the lacking of depth.

Cast

• Kevin de Paula as Pelé, from age 13 to 17
  • Leonardo Lima Carvalho as Pelé at age 10
• Vincent D'Onofrio as Feola
• Rodrigo Santoro
• Diego Boneta as Jose
• Colm Meaney as George Raynor
• Vivi Devereaux as Austin Smith

Production

The principal photography of the film begun in Rio de Janeiro on September 30, 2013. On February 9, 2014, it was announced that the film will not release at the time of 2014 FIFA World Cup, because it was in post-production and doing some re-shoots.

The film was shot entirely on location in Brazil, with Leonardo Carvalho and Kevin de Paula playing the rising star at the age of 9 and 17, respectively. Pele stated: "The two young actors who play my younger self will be true stars, as their skills both on screen and on the football pitch proved." Zimbalist stated that they wanted to concentrate on Pele’s early life for dramatic reasons, giving the reason as: "It was the birth of the legend that parallels the birth of the Brazilian national identity, coming off the 1950 (World Cup) loss (to Uruguay) in Maracana stadium". The film is centered on the relationship between Pele and his father.

Reception

As of May 31, 2016, the film has received a 7.4 star rating out of 10 stars on IMDB based on approximately 1,150 reviews .

Critic Josh Terry of Deseret News said: "Overall, “Pelé: Birth of a Legend” is a solid sports film and a pleasant introduction to an international icon." However, he went on to add: "While “Birth of a Legend” touches on weighty subjects such as national identity and class tension, its tone often employs a frenetic highlight-reel style that gives its content more flash than depth." In his review for The Salt Lake Tribune, Sean P. Means awarded the film 2 out of 5 stars saying that "the script plods along from event to event, and the young actors portraying Pelé are bland and uninvolving." Chief critic Alan Zilberman of The Washington Post concluded: "“The film is too earnest and single-minded to be hagiographic, and the final moments are moving in spite of their predictable trajectories. ... the film would have benefitted if the Zimbalists had found a way to add a bit of depth — or even doubt — to the legend." Scott Marks of San Diego Reader called biopic "painfully routine". Robert Abele of TheWrap stated the biopic "scores zero goals" calling the treatment to the script as "burnishing". In his review for The Village Voice, Michael Nordine expressed: "The new Pelé movie has great footwork but iffy, cheesy drama." Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times stated that the script "fails to satisfy the dramatic requirements of a narrative feature." Andrew Barker of Variety commented: "The film is continually hamstrung by an uninspiring, ultra-traditionalist narrative."

External links

• Pelé: Birth of a Legend at IMDb