canoarbr I grew up having Pelé as my greatest hero, the closest figure to the Superman i've ever seen. I thought this movie would be a Pelé's biography, but I was totally disappointed, not only by the cliches, but also by the incredible mistakes about his history. Pelé was already a star in Brazil in 1958. He. didn't play the first two games in that World Cup because he was recovering from an injury. He was nationwide recognized as Pelé, not as Dico Nascimento. Feola wasn't the mean guy as shown in the movie (by the opposite, in fact) and so on. Don't waste your time.

fontaine-30501 Not well made movie, Clichés after Clichés, emotion compassion. Pelé deserve way better than hat. Don't waste your time. typical Hollywood movie

erick-palacios04 I grew up watching Football, i loved it and i still do, and of course i love my nation (Venezuela), but you just can't denied that you like Brasil for their style of playing, their amazing Joga Bonito, it's just masterful and beautiful that makes you think, can i do that?, there are 2 correct answers: you work all day, every day for a very long time to accomplish it, or just wait until another life and born with it like Pelé. This is the guy that every Football player looks up to at least one time in their life, and of course for us Fottball lovers to know there is a movie about this legend it's like saying, there is a movie about Michael Jackson and you think: They better don't mess it up, because he is the best in the business and he deserves it. Trust me they have done it right in this film, the kid playing Pelé is really good with his ginga (freestyle of playing) and does honor to the man himself, he really capture the essence of what he means to every fan, player and Brazilian in the world. Makes me think, can he have Pelé's blood, yes he does, but not by family, but by nationality, they just have it in them.The movie it's solid in the cinematography, it really shows the feeling of the country and their culture and the sport itself, the casting made me think some times about overacting, but i just forget about it and kept watching a great film. What i really loved is that Ginga is explained and gives real knowledge of what it means, it's now that they call it Joga Bonito, but they are the same: One amazing player. Donpt believe me? just take a good look yourself this movie and experience what Soccer (that's how Americans call it) it's really about, and you will have the most amazing teacher, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or as is best known: Pelé.

voxrockulis A generous 6.5 for a Disney-fied feel-good drama of Pele's life story. The story goes exactly as you would expect it.The writing is a bit weak and lacking experience. For example (This is the spoiler), a young Pele plays with a bunch of rich kids who daydream of playing like famous footballers, each saying "I'm this guy" "I'm that guy" - Pele interjects and says "and I'm Pele!" to which the other kids ask: "Who?"Pele explains that he's pretending to be the Vasco de Gama keeper and the kids laugh at him and correct him, "It's Bilé."Then they say "Hey, let's call this boy Pele" - in real life (or in a better script) they would not have this "decision" moment, but would just start calling him Pele, like a "see you later, Pele!" not something as contrived as "Hey everyone, we have decided to call this boy Pele because it's funny. This is a good idea." Poor script-writing. The did this same thing with "Hey let's all call this team the shoeless ones" instead of just going straight for shoeless jokes like "lace up!" or more cruel jokes like "If you beat us I'll lend you my old boots."An even better story for the Pele name sticking would be for the rich kids to completely forget the boy until they meet him in a tournament match. When they were talking about him, the rich kids could say "Who?" (are we facing?) because they didn't actually know his real name and one of them could say "that Pele boy" which is the way people actually talk.This movie was filled with these lots opportunities and weak moments with unnatural dialogue. The scriptwriter can't hide behind language issues because the dialogues sound contrived even in Portuguese. Bullies don't say "hey, what do you guys think of this nickname for this boy we could all start using? Do you agree that it is a good one to use to taunt him?" They just use it, they don't have a meeting or vote about it. It felt like those anti-bullying educational videos they show to kids where the bully says "I do not like you because you look different. From now on I will do this to you." "I want to smoke because I feel like an adult doing it and it is cool." Pele's football skill also makes no sense. His skills fluctuate from world class to garbage class and back with no explanation whatsoever. They could've made it about the pressure of the national team, locker room problems, family problems, love, something that explains his drop, but nopes. His skill just drops in the second act so that it can come back at the right time "because 3 acts."Even as a Disneyfied feel-good story, they could've done a better job.I started the review giving this film seven stars, but the more I thought about it the more it felt too generous. I dropped it to 6.5.Don't get me wrong. It's enjoyable, but it's two wasted opportunities - they could've made a great, hard-hitting dramatic biopic (something similar to, but better than Heleno) or they could've made a better feel-good film. They didn't do either. They chose the easier option and still failed. This film will surely have cooled any interest in making a better Pele movie of either variety.