''The Longest Penalty Shot in the World'' ( es, El penalti más largo del mundo, links=no), is a 2005 Spanish

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Roberto Santiago which stars

Fernando Tejero Fernando Tejero Muñoz-Torrero (born 24 February 1967) is a Spanish actor. Among his work, he has acted in multiple films, including '' Football Days'' (2003), for which he won the Goya Award for Best New Actor, and television series like ''A ...

Plot

Fernando is a failed

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

who is finding it hard to find his bread and butter. During the final local league soccer game of the season, goalkeeper Román is injured and useless Fernando steps in to face a last-minute

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

. But before it's converted, the unruly crowd spills onto the field preventing the game from continuing, and the referee decrees the penalty must be retaken one week later. With money in the balance and a chance for the team to advance to a more prestigious league, the hitherto unpopular Fernando suddenly finds himself getting kid glove treatment, with team coach Santos even arranging a date with Roman's reluctant girlfriend Cecilia, whom Fernando fancies.

Cast

Production and making

The film was produced by Tornasol Films and Ensueño Films, and it had the participation of

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

and

FORTA The Federation of Regional Organizations of Radio and Television ( es, Federación de Organismos de Radio y Televisión Autonómicos, FORTA) is the association of the public broadcasting networks from 12 Autonomous Communities of Spain, autonomou ...

. The screenplay is based on the short story "El penal más largo del mundo" by

Osvaldo Soriano Osvaldo Soriano (January 6, 1943 – January 29, 1997) was an Argentine journalist and writer.Osvaldo Soriano
at the

. The film was produced by Mariela Besuievsky,

Gerardo Herrero Gerardo Herrero Pérez-Gamir (born 28 January 1953) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. He is a prolific promoter of international coproductions and collaborations between Spain and Hispanic American countries. From 1993 to ...

and Tedy Villalba and it was scored by

Lucio Godoy Lucio Godoy (born 1958) is a Spanish-Argentine film composer and music producer. He lived in Madrid from 1992 to 2013, working as a film ad TV composer, scoring and doing the music production for more than 50 feature films. In 2013, he became the ...

Reception

The film was released theatrically in Spain on 9 March 2005. It was well received by the audiences, but the critics gave an average rating to the movie.

References

External links