Pele Birth of a Legend

This cable-ready biopic of the Brazilian soccer star covers the eight years leading up to his triumphant performance at the 1958 World Cup finals.

"Pelé" is hagiography. But appealing hagiography.

The story of Brazilian soccer's ascension to the world stage is a remarkable one, and the film would have benefitted if the Zimbalists had found a way to add a bit of depth - or even doubt - to the legend.

The rags to riches story of the first 17 years in the life of soccer superstar Pelé are covered in this painfully routine biopic.

It's as if Pelé is no longer a flesh-and-blood character, but a cog in an inspiration machine that pumps out manufactured conflict and expected victory.

Between the whitewashing factors and the very familiar narrative beats, there's a lot of this movie that's not much more than a tolerable drag.

A documentary that abuses circus juggling, ending with the absurd effort to ridicule certain aspects of the player. [Full review in Spanish]

A social and sporting claim for the disheartened state of Brazilian football. [Full review in Spanish]

Not one of those horrible biopics we've seen lately, but nothing that stands out either. [Full review in Spanish]

Soccer fans won't get a kick from this lackluster biopic of one of the game's all-time greats.

When the movie is only 22 minutes old the first time it depicts a crowd chanting Pelé's name, be glad it showed some restraint and waited that long.

It is a portrait of a player and his country, and even if the film takes a conventional route to its destination, fans of the game should still enjoy it.