Movie review
November 16, 2023 · 104 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Next Goal Wins is a 2023 sports comedy-drama in which a down-on-his-luck Dutch-American coach attempts to transform American Samoa’s notoriously terrible national soccer team into winners after their record 31-0 loss, while undergoing his own redemption. The film dramatizes real events and prominently features a fa’afafine player (a traditional Samoan third-gender role) as a key team member whose identity is explained, celebrated through cultural metaphors, and tied to the coach’s growth and team unity. Multiple scenes center this element with explicit dialogue and character conflict, making the queer representation audience-visible and recurring enough to stand out in an otherwise standard underdog story.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Next Goal Wins.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent fa’afafine character played by non-binary actor with multiple dedicated scenes affirming the third-gender role as cultural strength and team asset; deliberately authentic casting and promotional emphasis make the queer element clearly audience-visible.
Woke political dialogue
Coach’s initial rejection and later acceptance involve direct cultural explanations of fa’afafine identity; conflict drives a subplot but lacks extended activist lectures or modern political framing.
Identity-driven story themes
The fa’afafine player’s arc and cultural acceptance support coach redemption and team bonding as a noticeable recurring thread; elevated weighting applied per guidelines for visible queer elements, though subordinate to the core sports underdog narrative.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Mild contrast between the angry Western coach’s outsider flaws and island communal joy, with light jokes about white-savior tropes; no systemic attacks on patriarchy, capitalism, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant; faithful dramatization of real people and events from the source documentary without fictional canon alterations or identity swaps.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Early critic complaints focused on insensitive handling of the trans character rather than claims of aggressive woke propaganda; broader anti-woke backlash absent or minimal with no major public storm.
Creator track record context
Taika Waititi’s established pattern of indigenous-focused, inclusivity-driven work and explicit praise for Pacific gender acceptance provides supporting context for the choices here.
Production
