Kicks

2009
Kicks
4.8| 1h22m| en| More Info
Released: 20 June 2009 Released
Producted By: BBC Film
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Nicole is an introverted Liverpudlian teenager, all but deserted by her parents, with a mother distractedly working nights and a father who has settled with a new family elsewhere. She spends time hanging around the gates of Anfield and the Melwood training ground, desperate for a glimpse of her idol, the star midfielder Lee Cassidy. She Meets aspirant WAG Jasmine, who is from an affluent family, more glamorous and streetwise, yet the girls' shared adoration to Cassidy lead them to bond instantly. They trawl the city and its nightspots, fantasizing about a time when they might have Lee for themselves, yet when the news breaks that the footballer is a transfer target for Real Madrid, they take drastic action to prevent him leaving.

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Reviews

Errington_92 Kicks contains a powerful cultural message for everyone particularly if like myself you live in the UK, where a part of our media culture is unjustly focused on Footballers and WAGS (otherwise known as Wives and Girlfriends) to the extent of shallow worship. In Kicks we are shown the dangerous obsession such worship can lead to.Nicole and Jasmine are two teenage girls from opposite walks of life. Nicole from a working class background and a broken family while Jasmine lives in an up - scale house surrounded by wealth yet both girls are in search of the same goal, to live the WAG's lifestyle. Together they become determined to seek the affections of a local football star by following him to local nightclubs and hanging around his home. It all sounds very pathetic but it is unfortunately an aspect included in today's generation where girls want to be a part of the media frenzied shallowness without understanding the consequences. In Jasmine's case it is not surprising since she has been raised around an environment where wealth is everywhere and looks are given unnecessary attention, made obvious in the scene where Jasmine's Mother had Nicole feel her breast to prove they are real as if it was a great triumph in appearance.But with Nicole it is more of a tragic circumstance. Kicks hints at the isolation Nicole experiences at home. Her Mother always at work, her Father does not bother to contain a relationship with Nicole and her Brother is away in the Army all revealed to us by brief snippets of mise en scene. It's hard not to sympathise with Nicole as she becomes so desperate to fill a void in her life that she places undying love and loyalty to a man she has never met, showing the devotion some of today's youth place in media figures, how this part of our culture is both a powerful and harmful aspect. Predictably Kicks soon sends Nicole and Jasmine's distorted visions crashing down to earth.They soon meet their Footballing idol Lewis on a night which exposes the hidden cracks and dark truths in their obsessions and the dream they seek. The playful sexuality between themselves and their idol quickly turns ugly when he turns sexually aggressive in his demands and revelations about his private affairs come to surface which turns Nicole off and makes Jasmine become annoyed with herself for having feelings for him to the point where she uses her body to confront her disgust with their idol's true self. Although Jasmine does this as an act of revenge it also shows the extent she and Nicole were emotionally vulnerable to these obsessions making them fragile victims to their desires.The events bring to life the falsehoods of these dreams and so called ambitions, that in the end it is simply not worth it. Although Kicks story wise was not difficult to decipher, its themes of a low class culture which people revolve their lives around was done in a realistic tone making it sadder of a realisation that they are girls of this generation who seek to be a WAG solely on the basis of glamorised media reporting which in conclusion makes Kicks a thoughtful piece of social commentary.
Maz Murdoch (asda-man) The premise of Kicks intrigued me. Two girls who obsess over a Liverpudlian football player (Lee) take their obsession too far. It sounded like a cross between The Loved Ones and Misery (which I both love) although I knew it was more of a dark drama than a horror film. However, I believe it would've benefited delving into straight, crazy horror!Kicks does begin with intrigue, it sets up two characters nicely and the Liverpool setting is something different and rarely used in films. I thought the obsession was brilliantly done, often chilling with make-shift tattoos and a picture of Lee under the quilt. I also thought that the characters were explored in-depth and with a sense of ambiguity about them. Unfortunately Kicks lacks the narrative drive that it desperately needed. It begins to ponder after half an hour and once it does look like things are getting thrilling, they quickly become repetitive and dull.The first half is very realistically done, whereas the second half turns into something over the top, which is fine, accept that it presents itself as something believable and so lacked the crazy fun The Loved Ones was able to offer. I believe that it should've indulged itself in horror to make it extremely twisted and more entertaining. Instead the ball runs to a stand-still and you end up feeling as fed up as Lee.The acting is quite shaky with an extremely wooden performance from Lee, but that shouldn't worry you too much. What you must appreciate here is the brilliant central relationship and the message about celebrity culture. My sister has an unhealthy obsession with Helena Bonham Carter and Lady Gaga, making it all the more chilling for me as I believe she would do something like this! However, it does become too far-fetched without making anything fun out of it. It's worth a watch but is unfortunately a piece of wasted potential.
Neil Welch Two teenage girls from Liverpool are romantically fixated on a soccer player. On learning that he is about to transfer to a European team, they kidnap him.As usual, the actors playing the teenagers are noticeably older than the ages they are playing. Having said that, all three of the principals are very good (I have already come to the conclusion that Nichola Burley is well worth watching, but Kerrie Hayes is also excellent).The problem is that, as you can tell from the synopsis, the story is simple and slight and, by the time some real drama gets under way, you may well have lost interest. There are lots of moody atmospheric shots, but one gets the impression that director Lindy Heymann thinks she is making a movie with a lot more meat on the bones than is actually the case. The film is not a bad effort, but needed tightening up in its earlier stages.
fayesbridegroom I found this film to be a gripping one. it took some of British culture's stereotypes "chavs" and "wags". and portrayed them as people with depth and culture. globally people will enjoy this film as the roles of gender are examined , and the influence they have on celebrity,longing and teenage humanity. the film is set in liverpool , home of the beatles , a coastal town. ad mist the dysfunction families in the movie is an affinity with the liverpool docks, the movie shows that the heart of liverpool is as much in the docks as it is on the soccer field. all of this is set to a romantic soundtrack by the band "ladyhawke" who add a high quaility soundtrack to the movie. this film is recommenced to people who enjoyed : "monster" ,"the disappearance of alice creed " and even "8 mile "