''Pelé'' is a 2021 biographical documentary film about Brazilian footballer

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

. The film was produced and distributed by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

and directed by Ben Nichols and David Tryhorn. Kevin MacDonald, Jon Owen, and Jonathan Rogers served as executive producers. ''Pelé'' was released on February 23, 2021.

Plot

The film describes the life of Pelé from his childhood, his soccer triumphs up until his last soccer station with the New York Cosmos soccer team. It includes lots of archival footage including his games, his and other interviews, news reels etc. The film sometimes also touches on the political background in Brasil, including the dictatorship. A lot of the soccer and other history is explained through contemporary interviews with him and other actors of the time, including family members, trainers, journalists and politicians.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the documentary holds an approval rating of 82% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. Andrew Pulver for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

,'' Charlotte O'Sullivan for the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'', Danny Leigh for the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', and Tara Brady for ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' all awarded the film three out of five stars. Jordan Mintzer of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' described the film as a "polished and well-intentioned biography", but did not "inspire love and awe".

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Pelé 2021 films 2021 documentary films Netflix original documentary films Cultural depictions of Pelé