Starring: Sofia Wylie, Kate Box, Trae Robin, Tiarnie Coupland, Christopher Kirby, Melissa Bonne, Raj Labade, Gemma Chua-Tran, Yasmin Honeychurch, Ashleigh Ross
Distributor: Umbrella Films
Runtime: 86 mins. Reviewed in Apr 2019
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How many times have we seen this film? Well, not exactly this film, but all those films about underdogs, especially in sport, and their overcoming all obstacles to win. We might call it the Rocky Syndrome!
Yes, this is exactly what this film is about and will appeal to audiences who want to take the side of the underdogs and see them triumph.
Back at the Net is an Australian film although, like some others in recent years, the central character is from the United States and finds herself in New South Wales. Cory, Sofia Wylie, is a bright student with an absorbing devotion to science and is excited because she has been chosen for a special scientific voyage in the Southern Ocean. She is hyper-excited but always has everything planned, and ahead of time.
As her parents fly off from LAX to India, she flies (by Qantas, of course) to Sydney, heads for the bus, all excitement, nods off on the shoulder of Oliver (Trae Robin in his first feature film – and it shows at times), waking up on the south coast of New South Wales, looking for the dock for the ship. Only, she has boarded the wrong bus and is now part of a summer camp for soccer training. She tries her best to catch up with the ship but it is out to sea, cannot turn round, too expensive to helicopter out there… The only thing is to accept that she has to train at soccer. Obviously, with her glasses and science books, she can be named the least obvious to succeed. In fact, with three sympathetic girls she shares a room with (one aboriginal, one Asian, and she herself is African-American), they become a team WOTB (the Worst of the Best).
It’s not really a spoiler to say that Oliver will be something of a heart-throb, top soccer player, intrigued by Cory. And it is not really a spoiler to anticipate the archetypal mean girl, Edie (Tiarnie Coupland), jealous of Oliver, dismissive of Cory, ruining her science demonstration, mocking the girls.
How can the WOTB overcome their limitations, especially the fact that Corey cannot even kick a ball into the net? The answer: Physics! Cory can do all kinds of physics calculations in her head (and they appear on the screen). What about calculating force, length, height, energy in kicking a ball so that a goal will be scored? And who will score it, we might wonder!
Which is to say that it is all quite predictable but, for many audiences, that does not matter at all. It is the getting there and the way of getting there that counts. Also, they and we are fortunate to have a very cheery sportsmistress coach, Kate Box.
Because this is a girls’ soccer team, references to the Matildas, Back of the Net has an immediate potential audience of young girls (and their parents, teachers and coaches), especially young girls who want to play soccer.
Peter Malone MSC is an Associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting.
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