‘Next Goal Wins’ Review: Taika Waititi Does a Stock ‘Ted Lasso’ Riff in American Samoa-Set Soccer Comedy

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Does it count as a white savior movie if the white character is the one who needs saving? In “Next Goal Wins,” the world’s top-grossing indigenous director, Taika Waititi, retells the story of how American Samoa went from having the world’s worst soccer team to, well, not the worst. While a white man was involved, the movie — which suggests how a film like “Cool Runnings” might be made with 30 years’ more cultural enlightenment — is mostly about how their coach (Michael Fassbender) needs an attitude adjustment. Come to think of it, that’s essentially the formula for most white savior movies.

In 2001, the American Samoa soccer team set a world record. They lost the World Cup Qualification game 31-0. Apparently, they only got worse from there.

Enter Fassbender’s character, Thomas Rongen, a hothead with an alcohol problem and an emotional backstory which the movie keeps up its sleeve until halftime of the climactic game. His job is not to turn this team of losers into winners; his job is to help them score one goal. Will Thomas Rongen get his temper and drinking in check? Will Thomas Rongen refer to the personal tragedy that’s been making him so insufferable in the locker room before the second half of the final game? You do not go to a movie called “Next Goal Wins” to be surprised.

In fact, if you have ever seen a movie before, you have already seen “Next Goal Wins.” That movie doesn’t even have to be “Next Goal Wins,” the 2014 documentary on which Waititi and co-writer Iain Morris based their remake. Maybe you’ve seen “The Mighty Ducks.” Or “Major League.” Heck, even if the only film you’ve ever seen is “The Human Centipede,” you can figure out where “Next Goal Wins” is going. But that