History Trivia / BendItLikeBeckham

* WorkingTitle: As the term 'bend' and David Beckham were well known in the UK, but not as much in the US, there was talk of changing the title to 'Move It Like Mia' for the American release (after American soccer star Mia Hamm).

* TheRedStapler: The film reportedly inspired a great number of girls and young women to take up football and some to even play professionally.

* SleeperHit: The film's success at the Box Office was a shock what with it being about a) [[GirlShowGhetto women's football]], b) [[MinorityShowGhetto an Indian family]] and c) [[WeAllLiveInAmerica British]]. At the time of its release, it was the highest grossing Indian-themed film in the US since ''{{Film/Gandhi}}'' and remains the third-highest grossing film about association football (after ''Film/ShesTheMan'' and ''Kicking & Screaming'').

* DoingItForTheArt: Melanie C's song "Independence Day" was nearly going to be dropped from the film because the lyrics didn't fit. She just rewrote them so the song could still be used.

* DyeingForYourArt: Keira Knightley had to bob her hair, as Jules's short hair is a sign that her mother thinks she's gay. Parminder Nagra had to grow hers long, to fit Jess's traditional upbringing. They reverted to their original styles when promoting the movie, joking that they swapped in interviews.

** Creator/JulietStevenson often does serious dramas playing intelligent women of power. Here, she's Jules's embarrassing ditz of a mother.

* QueerShowGhetto: The film was originally about a romance between two women interested in football. That was removed both due to worries that the film would be too niche and due to not wanting to perpetuate the Lesbian Jock stereotype. They ended up tacking on a heterosexual subplot to the film at the last moment.

** Juliet Stevenson often does serious dramas playing intelligent women of power. Here, she's Jules's embarrassing ditz of a mother.
** Jonathan Rhys Meyers is often villains or leches, making it unusual to see him as the NiceGuy coach. It's also rare for him to get to use his natural Irish accent.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Obviously set during the 2000s when David Beckham was at his absolute peak as a football player, and the climax at the airport captures the 2000s media frenzy surrounding 'Posh and Bex' as a power couple. The plot of the movie also revolves around Jess and Jules hoping to play for the Women's United Soccer Association in America - who suspended operations in 2003. Jules's mother also buys into the then-rumors that Melanie C was a lesbian because of her tomboyish looks. In fact, Jules's mother's attitude towards her daughter possibly being a lesbian is very rooted in early 2000s attitudes towards homosexuality. Were the movie made in TheNewTens, her attitude would be seen as even more ridiculous and possibly even abusive as opposed to her being clueless and embarrassing but harmless in the final film.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** As the term 'bend' and David Beckham were well known in the UK, but not as much in the US, there was talk of changing the title to 'Move It Like Mia' for the American release (after American soccer star Mia Hamm).
** Max Beesley was considered for the role of Joe, but he turned it down to appear ''Film/{{Glitter}}'' instead, [[StarDerailingRole which ended up killing any momentum that his career may have had up until that point.]]

** There's also pop singer Shaznay Lewis (of All Saints fame) as the team's coach Mel.

* RealLifeRelatives: The guests at Pinky's wedding were made up of Gurinder Chadha's relatives. They threw themselves into the spirit of the scene, and treated it as if it were a real wedding.

* StuntCasting: Bollywood superstar Anupam Kher as Jess's father. Internationally he was the biggest name in the cast.

** This originally ''was'' a [[HideYourLesbians lesbian love story.]]

* WrittenInInfirmity: When Parminder Nagra was seven years old and helping prepare dinner, she accidentally set the right leg of her pants (which were made of polyester) on fire. Her uncle put out the flames and placed her in the bathtub to begin dousing the injury with cold water (which was good), but then made the mistake of taking her pants off (which was bad). Most of the skin of her thigh came with them, resulting in a substantial scar. Chadha decided not to even try and mask it, instead making it part of Jess's backstory as well.

* BannedInChina: This is the only Western-made movie to avert this in UsefulNotes/NorthKorea; it was aired on state TV in an heavily abridged form on December 26, 2010 to mark the tenth anniversary of North Korea's relations with the United Kingdom.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: This originally ''was'' a [[HideYourLesbians lesbian love story.]]