Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos
They became the original 'galacticos', spearheaded by none other than Brazilian demi-god Pele.
What happens when the world's most economically successful country tackles the planet's most popular sport? Crowder and Dower's documentary recounts the rise and fall of the New York Cosmos, a 'soccer' team owned by entertainment mogul Steve Ross. Originally a rag-tag bunch of semi-pros, they became the original 'galacticos', spearheaded by none other than Brazilian demi-god Pele. Narrated (limply) by Matt Dillon, the film draws on interviews with some of the chief protagonists as its primary insight to the glitz, glamour and above all, money, that swirled around the sport for an ill-fated period in the 70s and 80s. Alas, the absence of the two biggest 'players', Ross (deceased) and Pele (declined), detracts from the overall gravitas, and whilst many interesting topics are touched on (multi-ethnicity of US society, the Cosmos legacy, short American attention spans etc), these are explored with Sunday league enthusiasm rather than premier league sophistication. One for the fans. [Paul Mitchell]