Kicking Off

2016 "The beautiful game just got ugly."
Kicking Off
3.8| 1h25m| R| en| More Info
Released: 21 April 2016 Released
Producted By: Gaia Media
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Kicking Off starts with the most important game of the season. Loyal fans Wigsy and Cliff watch in trepidation as their football team score the goal that will save them from relegation. Victory is bliss as a chorus of supporters chant and cry with elation. However, this frenzy of happiness quickly turns ugly as the referee disallows the deciding goal. With their hearts and fists pumping, adrenalin running and fury racing through their bloodstream, the fans take matters into their own hands and Cliff makes the fatal mistake of planning while intoxicated. Wigsy, a confirmed idiot, follows through with the said plan and in the darkest hours of the night he commits a crime that will cause chaos and catastrophe for him and his best mate Cliff. Kicking Off is cleverly filmed with split screen shots and slow motion montages. The characters are lovable thugs who will leave you laughing and grimacing at their lack of common sense. The beautiful game just got ugly.

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Reviews

k_dawson The first and utmost annoying thing about this film is the fact that they are the biggest fans of this team ever, willing to kidnap a referee BUT there NOT even at the match (Yer great fans, hey). These so called massive fans are watching it in a PUB with loads of thugs. Anyway, it's the last day of the season and loyal fans Wiggsy and Cliff assemble for a crucial denouement. It's simple: win and the team stays up; lose and they're down. When their team appears to grab a vital winner in the dying seconds the boys wild celebrations ensue, only for them to discover that the referee (Alastair Petrie) has disallowed the goal. Chaos ensues and Wiggsy and Cliff (reluctantly) decide to take matters into their own hands. To Wiggsy, it's simple: Get the referee to admit he made a mistake in disallowing the goal, and the team stays up while Wiggsy becomes a hero. I suppose it's worth a watch as it is quite witty in places.
Prismark10 Kicking Off is a low budget black comedy with a lot of kinetic energy and visual trickery that disguises the fact that the profanity filled muddled screenplay has ran out of steam.Football fans Wiggsy (Warren Brown) and Cliff (Greg McHugh) are sick as a parrot when on the last day of the season, their football team is relegated. Their goal was disallowed and soon after the other side scored. The duo are gutted.Wiggsy decides to kidnap the referee (Alastair Petrie) and get him to admit that he made a mistake in disallowing the goal. Cliff is perplexed and horrified that some pub banter has gone badly wrong.The film is obviously inspired by The King of Comedy. Petrie who so often plays the snivelling villain gives a nicely understated performance as the god fearing ref who quickly figures that his kidnappers are barking mad as well as inept.Wiggsy is the hothead whose actions signify that he is losing touch with reality, maybe due to the fact that his love life has gone awry.The film is uneven in tone, too often switching from comedy to violence.
kosmasp No pun intended. I really liked the idea and the pair of main characters really have a good chemistry together (one could argue their friendship is what holds it all together). The actors do a decent job. So what do I think went wrong? And I'm not talking about the actual plan (if you want to call it that).Well I'd say that the pace but especially the intentions are a bit muddy to say the least. It also changes far too often (mood swings), has logical errors and if you're not interested in football (or soccer if you're American), than this will leave you cold. The basic idea also could be described as a bit mental. Then again, if you are into the world of fandom, you might understand at least part of it. Still it could've been better, even though it has quite a few nice moments in it (though a character falling down twice is at least one too many)
dcrothnie It's the last day of the season and loyal fans Wiggsy (Warren Brown) and Cliff (Greg McHugh) assemble for a crucial denouement. It's simple: win and the team stays up; lose and they're down. When their team appears to grab a vital winner in the dying seconds the boys wild celebrations ensue, only for them to discover that the referee (Alastair Petrie) has disallowed the goal. Chaos ensues and Wiggsy and Cliff (reluctantly) decide to take matters into their own hands. To Wiggsy, it's simple: Get the referee to admit he made a mistake in disallowing the goal, and the team stays up while Wiggsy becomes a hero. What can possibly go wrong? This is a very funny film with strong performances and great writing which ensures you don't need to be a football fan to enjoy it. Football is the hook on which the action hangs, and it explores obsession, betrayal and blind faith with a deftness of touch. The dialogue is great and the scenes involving the interrogation of the referee in particular are very funny and clever. Brown (Wiggsy) and McHugh (Cliff) put in strong performances and Danielle Lineker is great as Wiggsy's long-suffering girlfriend but Alastair Petrie's understated performance as the kidnapped referee is wonderful. At its heart is a story about male relationships, the blurring of the line between hope and reality and how you shouldn't really mix football and real life - a beautifully-constructed and nicely timed comic gem ahead of another summer of potential football glory or crushing disappointment.