Mike Bassett: England Manager
Mike Bassett: England Manager | |
---|---|
Hallmark Entertainment | |
Distributed by | Entertainment Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | £3.6 million[1] |
Mike Bassett: England Manager is a 2001
The film initially received mixed reviews,[5] but since its release has gained popularity as a cult film among English football fans.[6] The film was followed by a television series, Mike Bassett: Manager in 2005.[7][8] In 2014, there were plans to bring Mike Bassett back to the big screen in a movie titled Mike Bassett: Interim Manager. However, the kickstarter project that was essential for raising funds for the film did not meet its target.[9]
Plot
With the film narrated by
The heads of the
When the press turn up at Mike's house to question him about the job he initially denies the speculation until his son Jason appears with a phone to tell him he's got the job. Bassett takes over the England team and moves to appoint his coaching staff, namely assistant manager turned car salesman Lonnie Urquart (
Bassett takes his first training session at
For the last qualification game, England need to beat Slovenia in order to qualify and with Tonkinson missing due to a drunken car crash, they struggle to a 0–0 draw in which captain Gary Wackett (Geoff Bell) is sent off and Rufus Smalls (Robbie Gee) misses a penalty. After the game, they learn that Luxembourg have beaten Turkey 2–0 which sees them go through on goal difference. The team head off to record the official England World Cup song with girl group Atomic Kitten and "hellraiser" Keith Allen.
England travel to
The morning after his drunken incident, Bassett is involved in a press conference at which he is expected to step down from the managerial position. When he announces that he is carrying on, the press begin to get hostile and Bassett responds by reciting of "If—" by Rudyard Kipling, which he finishes by saying that "England will be playing 4–4–fucking–2" and storms out. Following this, England need to beat Argentina to get through to the second round. Reporter Tommo (Phill Jupitus) proclaims that if England win he will quit his job and become a bin man. In a close game in which England are the better team, they eventually succeed when Tonkinson dribbles past the Argentinian defence and blasts a shot that deflects off the crossbar. Tonkinson then punches the ball into the net – a reference to the "hand of God" goal from Argentina's Diego Maradona which helped to knock England out of the 1986 World Cup. As the full-time whistle sounds and the England team celebrate, Bassett heads down the tunnel telling Doddsy he's going to call his wife.
It is later seen in a series of newspaper articles that England advanced to the knock-out stages, where they beat Romania and France, with Rufus Smalls breaking his goal drought and scoring a hat-trick against Romania to become England's top goalscorer, with 52 international goals. They eventually lost to host nation Brazil in the semi-finals. Tommo Thompson is also seen briefly working as a binman following his statement during the final press conference. On their plane journey back to Britain, Bashir says to Bassett that England had equalled their best performance since they won in 1966 (in 1990, England finished fourth). Bassett replies that he is ready to move aside and let somebody else take the job. As the plane doors open at the airport, the team depart to a cheering crowd, where a surprised but happy Bassett confirms to the waiting press that he will remain as manager.
Cast
Main cast
- Ricky Tomlinson as Mike Bassett, a former player turned manager from the lower leagues who leads Norwich City to the Mr. Clutch Cup. He then becomes manager of England but is derided by the fans and English media for not being good enough for the role.
- Amanda Redman as Karine Bassett, Mike's wife whose patience and loyalty is put to the test when her husband's popularity plummets during England's poor run of form.
- yes man, who agrees with everyone else's opinions echoing instructions and very rarely offering any of his own thoughts.
- Philip Jackson as Lonnie Urquart, Bassett's assistant manager and used car salesman (a reference to Lawrie McMenemy under the Graham Taylor era) who is very old-fashioned in his beliefs and often compares the England players' performances to cars. He is opinionated but is more concerned with getting the players to buy cars from him.
- Martin Bashir as Interviewer (Narrator), Bashir narrates the entire film, also appearing in scenes as the interviewer who is given complete access to the England setup as part of the documentary. He offers an impartial view of the events that unfold.
- Football Association, he pays very little interest in Mike or his role.
- Phill Jupitus as Tommo Thompson, a news reporter who is very sceptical about Mike but after making a bet with him later is seen to quit his job and become a bin man when England beat Argentina.
- Danny Tennant as Jason Bassett, Mike's son who is a youth team player at Norwich City, he is later targeted by bullies when pressure mounts on his father.
Footballers
- Dean Lennox Kelly as Kevin 'Tonka' Tonkinson, a Geordie playmaking midfielder. He is an alcoholic, often in trouble but is the most gifted player on the team. He is based on Paul Gascoigne.
- centre forward who is enduring an international goal drought since missing his penalty against Portugal two years prior. He struggles with self-confidence, he is based on Andy Cole.
- central defender who is often sent off. He is later arrested for joining in with rioting English football hooligans. He is based on Steve Walsh and Terry Butcher.
- Terry Kiely as Steve 'Harpsey' Harper, a 26-year-old flash right-sided midfielder playing for Manchester United, he claims he is not about the lifestyle but owns sports cars and constantly talks on the phone to his model girlfriend even during team talks. He is based on David Beckham.
- Chris McQuarry as Alan Massey, a softly spoken timid striker who is a very talented player, he later becomes the captain in Wackett's absence. He was based on Gary Neville and Phil Neville.
- Dean Holness as Danny, a positive speaking energetic player who is part of a double act with Deano.
- John Alford as Deano, a positive speaking energetic player who is part of a double act with Danny.
Other England players on the team are Scott Mean as Parkesy, Julian Ballantine as Robbo, Thomas Kenyon as Macca, Robert Campion as Smudger, Andy Ansah as Super, Alex Lawler as Sexy, Declan Perkins as Perks, Danny Husbands as Normal, Phil Gridelet as Grids, Dion Osbourne as Ossie, Kim Durham as Benson and Robert Hudson as Hedges. Des Hamilton and Paul Rattray appears as Scotland footballers, with Glenn Mulhern as the Ireland player.
Other cast
- Malcolm Terris as preceding England manager Phil Cope
- Ulrich Thomsen as Dr Hans Shoegaarten
- Lloyd McGuire as Midlands Representative
- Stephen Walters as England Supporter
- Sean Gilder as Independent Journalist
- Iain Rogerson as Ticket Collector
Cameos
- Pelé as himself, he arrives in to a hotel whilst doing a television interview and is confronted by a drunk Mike who is dancing on the bar.
- Ronaldo as himself, he is asked by a Brazilian television presenter for what he thinks about Mike Bassett.
- Atomic Kitten as themselves, they sing the England World Cup song with Keith Allen and the team.
- Keith Allen as himself, he produces and sings the World Cup song with the team.
- Sue Barker as herself, presenter of BBC's A Question of Sport, to which Rufus is a team captain.
- Gabby Logan as herself, a television presenter who presents the World Cup TV show.
- Barry Venison as himself, an ex-footballer and football pundit who appears on the World Cup TV show and interviews Mike over a poor satellite video link.
- Brian Moore, Clive Tyldesley and Martin Tylerare commentators on England games.
- Natasha Kaplinsky as herself, a Sky News reporter.
- Dickie Bird as himself, a guest on BBC's A Question of Sport.
- Richard Guest as himself, a guest on BBC's A Question of Sport.
- Vincent Marzello as himself, a US Newsreader.
- Kevin Piper as himself, the Norwich newsreader.
England under Mike Bassett
Fixture | Result | Date | ||
---|---|---|---|
Poland (Home – WCQ8 – Group 3) | Lost 2–1 | 12 April 2001 | ||
Belgium (Away – WCQ9 – Group 3) | Lost 3–0 | 20 September 2001 | ||
Slovenia (Home – WCQ10 – Group 3) | Drew 0–0 | 18 November 2001 | ||
Egypt (Neutral – World Cup R1 – Group F) | Drew 0–0 | 15 June 2002 | ||
Mexico (Neutral – World Cup R1 – Group F) | Lost 4–0 | 19 June 2002 | ||
Argentina (Neutral – World Cup R1 – Group F) | Won 1–0 | 7 July 2002 | ||
Romania (Neutral – World Cup – Last 16) | Won 3–0 | 12 July 2002 | ||
France (Neutral – World Cup – Quarter Finals) | Won 2–0 | 16 July 2002 | ||
Brazil (Neutral – World Cup – Semi Finals) | Lost 1–0 | 21 July 2002 | ||
unknown (Neutral – World Cup – Third Place Play-offs) | Lost | July 2002 |
Production
Mike Bassett: England Manager is based on the career of Graham Taylor, and documentary An Impossible Job.[10][11] Shot in high definition, the film is made to look like it had been shot on 35mm.[3]
The film was shot entirely in the
After the film's events
In the follow-up television series, Mike Bassett: Manager, it is revealed that Bassett was sacked by England after failing to qualify for the 2004 European Championships, including a defeat to Liechtenstein. Bassett subsequently guided Newcastle United to two consecutive relegations, before unsuccessful returns to Norwich and Colchester lead to him taking over at his father's former club, Wirral County.
Alternative ending
An alternative ending was shot for the film, in which Mike rejects a four-year extension to stay on as manager with England choosing to appoint a foreign manager as his replacement. Gary Wackett has now retired and is now on television as a Gladiator, whilst Rufus Smalls is given his captaincy back on BBC's A Question of Sport. Kevin Tonkinson has also retired and now is the manager of his local pub whereas Mike is seen coaching players on a sandy field and is now the new manager of Bolivia. The film ends with Mike jumping on board a red jeep and driving off with Karine and Jason.[14]
Sequel
Following the success of the film, numerous talks over the years about a possible sequel. In late 2004 it announced that Mike Bassett 2 was in the works, with the story being continued on from the first movie which sees this time Bassett leading his country to the European Championships in Portugal in 2004. This project was later abandoned and instead the producers reverted to the idea of a television series for ITV Mike Bassett: Manager.
In 2016 a Kick Starter campaign was started, which saw both Ricky Tomlinson and Bradley Walsh reprise their roles for a promotional trailer, asking fans to fund to a sequel called Mike Bassett: Interim Manager. The movie needed to hit a certain financial target by a specific date in order for it to be made. The campaign did not hit its target and the project was shelved. It was understood the script centred round Bassett coming out of retirement in order to help assist the current England manager, who is German and struggling to engage his players. Before too long Bassett finds himself back in the hotseat and possibly leading his country to another World Cup.
Reception
The movie received a mixed reception from critics.
Since its release, Mike Bassett: England Manager has gained popularity as a cult film among English football fans.[6] Rugby coach Brendan Venter gave a press interview in 2010 that parodied one given by "Doddsie" in the film, in which he simply agrees with everything the questioner says, even if that contradicts previous answers.[19]
Sprackling observed in 2018 that "when the film actually came out in 2001, Sven-Göran Eriksson was in charge and he was at the height of his pomp. Everyone had become convinced that it had all changed now, that we were going to be successful and continental about it all. This bungling uselessness was all in the past. Everything felt like it was going to be all modern and new and professional. The wheels weren't going to come off and we weren't going to have disasters. But that wasn't the case. That's why people come back to [the film] so often, because the same disasters continue to happen."[20]
Stephen Glynn's 2018 book The British Football Film discusses the film at length, noting that it "does not always undercut a
Comparison to real events
Some of the events in the actual
It was also recalled in 2019, when, in an echo of Bassett's disastrous open-top bus parade at the beginning of the film, Norwich's open-top bus broke down as they celebrated winning the EFL Championship.[25][failed verification]
See also
References
- ^ Dawtrey, Adam (24 December 2001). "Homegrown pix gain in Europe". Variety. p. 7.
- ^ a b c Smith, Neil (27 September 2001). "Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001)". BBC Film. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Elley, Derek (27 September 2001). "Mike Bassett: England Manager". Variety. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ Aldridge, Dave (September 2001). "Mike Bassett: England Manager". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Mike Bassett: England Manager". The Guardian. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b Fennessy, Paul (13 October 2014). "Good news! 'Mike Bassett: England Manager' is getting a sequel". The42.ie. Journal Media. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Mike Bassett spin-off is just 30 minutes of TV hell - News". Yorkshire Post. JPI Media. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ Chapman, Iain (6 October 2004). "ITV to make Mike Bassett series - TV News". Digital Spy. Hearst UK. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- TheGuardian.com. 18 March 2014.
- ^ Cole, Sean (25 June 2018). "Mike Bassett: England Manager – The making of one of football's most loved films".
- ^ Smith, Arthur; Pulver, Andrew (21 September 2001). "Turnip - the movie". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ "Mike Bassett: England Manager – the making of one of football's most loved films". 25 June 2018.
- ^ "Mike Bassett - England Manager (Alternate Ending)". YouTube.
- ^ Stubbs, David. "How it wasn't". When Saturday Comes.
- ^ "Empire's Mike Bassett: England Manager Movie Review". Empire Online. Bauer Media Group. 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (28 September 2001). "Mike Bassett: England Manager". The Guardian.
- ^ "Historical UK Weekend Box Office - 28th September 2001 - 30th September 2001". 25th Frame. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ Spink, Alex (13 December 2010). "Brendan Venter in Mike Bassett: England Manager-style TV outburst". Mirror Online. MGN. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ Cole, Sean (25 June 2018). "Mike Bassett: England Manager – The making of one of football's most loved films". The Set Pieces. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ISBN 978-3-319-77727-6. Retrieved 21 May 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ "WORLD CUP | England v Sweden | Sweden hold drab England". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Beckham's Argentina redemption".
- ^ "Brazil end England's dream". 21 June 2002.
- ^ "Norwich City fans stage Dubai parade". BBC News. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
External links
- Mike Bassett: England Manager at IMDb