''Football Heroes of the Block'' ( es, Héroes de barrio, links=no) is a 2022 Spanish comedy film directed by Ángeles Reiné which stars

Antonio Pagudo Antonio Pérez Agudo (born 2 February 1977) known professionally as Antonio Pagudo is a Spanish actor. Career He made appearances in theater, television and films. He played in the spectacles''Spingo'' or ''Star Trip'', in which he did a tour i ...

and Luna Fulgencio alongside

Lisi Linder Lisi Linder (born 15 April 1984) is a Spanish actress primarily known for her television work, such as her performances in ''Mar de plástico ''Mar de plástico'' ( en, Plastic Sea) is a Spanish crime drama television series produced by Boomera ...

Antonio Dechent Antonio Dechent (born 1960) is a Spanish actor. Born in Seville, he is specialised in supporting roles ''Supporting Roles'' ( es, Papeles secundarios) is a 1989 Cuban drama film directed by Orlando Rojas. The film was selected as the Cuban e ...

, Álex O'Dogherty, and

Jesús Olmedo Jesús Olmedo (born 1973) is a Spanish actor, best known for his performance in the television series ''Hospital Central'', ''90-60-90: Diario secreto de una adolescente'', ''Hispania, la leyenda'' and ''Imperium''. Biography Born in Seville o ...

Plot

Set in a suburb of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, the plot follows a man at a low ebb (Luis), who (falsely) told to be a friend of famous footballer

Joaquín Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981), Spanish football winger * Joaquín (footballer, born 1982), ...

to his daughter Paula, a 9-year-old wannabe footballer. Upon lying to Paula, Luis does everything he can not to let her down. Meanwhile Luis yearns to be back with former partner Carmen, Paula's mom. Luis is supported by his father (a former boxer) and friend Litos to win Carmen's love back.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was penned by Antonio Prieto and Ángeles Reiné. The film was produced by Spal Films, Álamo Producciones and Galdo Media, alongside AIE Palacios Gador, with the collaboration of ICAA,

Junta de Andalucía The Regional Government of Andalusia ( es, Junta de Andalucía) is the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Regional Government and the Government Council. The 2011 budget was 31. ...

, and

Canal Sur Canal Sur ('South Channel') is part of Radio y Televisión de Andalucía (RTVA), the public broadcasting company of Andalusia. It was created by means of the devolved powers given to this region by an Act of Parliament in its statute of autono ...

. Filming started in March 2021 in

Alcalá de Guadaíra Alcalá de Guadaíra () is a town located approximately 17 km southeast of Seville, Spain; in recent years the expansion of Seville has meant that Alcalá has become a suburb of that city. Alcalá used to be known as ''Alcalá de los Panadero ...

Release

The film screened on 25 March 2022 at the 25th

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Film Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since 2017, ...

. Distributed by A Contracorriente, it was theatrically released in Spain on 29 July 2022.

Reception

Raquel Hernández Luján of ''

HobbyConsolas ''HobbyConsolas'' is a Spanish video game magazine founded in 1991 by Hobby Press and published by Axel Springer SE. The first issue appeared in October 1990. The monthly magazine offers information about games for all consoles, and since 2012 ha ...

'' scored 50 points ("so-so"), deeming ''Héroes de barrio'' to be a "rather predictable and unambitious" film overall. Oti Rodríguez Marchante of ''

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

'' rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be a "well-intentioned comedy", "in the sense that its greatest aim is not to ruin the day of even one of the viewers who come to see it". Carlos Marañón of ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a Spanish language monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)( ...

'' rated the film 2½ out of 5 stars, deeming it to be a "simple but honest film, with shortcomings" (...) "but with sparkle".

Accolades

, - , rowspan = "3" align = "center" , 2023 , , rowspan = "3" ,

2nd Carmen Awards The 2nd Carmen Awards were presented by the Andalusian Film Academy on 4 February 2023 at Almerías . Background The ceremony enjoyed the support from Diputación Provincial de Almería, the Andalusia's Regional Ministry of Tourism, Culture and ...

, , Best Actress , , Lisi Linder , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Art Direction , , Lala Obrero , , , - , Best Cinematography , , Alberto Pareja , ,

References

{{authority control Films shot in the province of Seville 2022 comedy films 2022 films Spanish comedy films 2020s Spanish films 2020s Spanish-language films Films set in Andalusia Films about father–daughter relationships