Next Goal Wins
Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: November 17, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 42 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
19
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJan 10, 2024
Even when he’s not mugging on screen, Waititi’s personality is evident in every frame, which suggests that he is rather overestimating the level of audience goodwill towards him, which has been depleted by the divisive Jojo Rabbit and the mediocre Thor: Love and Thunder. Read full review
60
EmpireJohn NugentDec 20, 2023
Waititi’s shtick runs thin, and there are badly misguided moments, but this is still a warm, heart-mostly-in-the-right-place portrait of a momentously poor sports team. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawDec 20, 2023
The whole film is a little rough-and-ready in the way it’s put together, but it’s amiable and well-intentioned and the laughs are real. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredFrancisca TinocoNov 13, 2023
There's a lot of heart and good intentions in Next Goal Wins but wonky pacing, a confusing emotional arc for its main character, and a handful of uninspired scenes come close to rendering all that useless. Read full review
60
Screen DailyWendy IdeSep 11, 2023
Like the mismatched team from the Pacific Island, the picture is big-hearted and sweet-natured, but it is also rather lacking in polish and staying power. Read full review
56
Paste MagazineUrsula Munoz S.Nov 22, 2023
There’s an inspiring story at the center of Next Goal Wins, but that story deserves better. Read full review
50
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldNov 16, 2023
Mostly Next Goal Wins just plods along, agreeable and familiar and instantly forgettable. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 16, 2023
This is a shoddy-looking, superficial and cliché-embracing effort that misses the mark at every turn. Read full review
50
Rolling StoneDavid FearNov 15, 2023
No one’s denying that American Samoa’s brief moment of victory — it didn’t make it to Cup playoffs, yet it’s never been in last place again — is a major coup. So why does this feel like such a lost opportunity for all involved? Read full review
50
The Associated PressMark KennedyNov 15, 2023
Next Goal Wins isn’t a tale of “woe” or “woah!” but “meh.” Read full review
50
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonSep 14, 2023
It’s goofy and relies heavily on common tropes, failing to offer insight into the players as people outside their team. Read full review
50
The PlaylistCharles BramescoSep 11, 2023
Will success spoil Taika Waititi? The answer implied by “Next Goal Wins” isn’t encouraging for the future of an original comic voice still audible but slowly fading into the chorus. Read full review
50
IndieWireEsther ZuckermanSep 11, 2023
Next Goal Wins is largely a misfire, one that’s too unwilling to stop kidding around for even the most important of moments. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeSep 10, 2023
The film works best when Waititi gets out of his own way and lets the characters speak for themselves instead of self-consciously extinguishing any warmth with jokes. Read full review
50
The Daily BeastNick SchagerSep 10, 2023
The best one can say about it is that it at least doesn’t feature a lovably cartoonish genocidal dictator. Read full review
40
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeJan 2, 2024
Based on an acclaimed documentary, the film looks to be asking us to fill in the many gaps in its Swiss-cheese narrative. Read full review
40
Little White LiesMark AschDec 28, 2023
In Next Goal Wins, Taika Waititi depicts Samoans the same way he depicted Hitler in Jojo Rabbit: as absolutely adorable. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 11, 2023
The film is a shoddily made and strikingly unfunny attempt to tell an interesting story in an uninteresting way. Read full review
40
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 10, 2023
The idea is to have a good time, and Waititi knows how to give audiences that. Read full review
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