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Movie · Sports, Comedy · 2002 · PG-13

Bend It Like Beckham: parents' guide

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual situations.

A funny, big-hearted British comedy about a Sikh teen who secretly plays soccer against her traditional parents' wishes, best for families with kids about 13 and up. The PG-13 comes from language, including a few s-words and ethnic slurs aimed at the heroine, and from sexual material: crude jokes and gestures, a couple making out in a parked car, girls changing in bras, and the heroine's crush on her young coach. Older teens drink at a club. Violence is minimal. The film tackles racism and family expectations, though some jokes about being gay feel dated.

What's in it

Violence

Mild

Very little. A player twists her ankle, a boy takes a soccer ball to the crotch, Jess shoves an opponent who used a racial slur and is sent off, and partygoers briefly scuffle.

Language

Moderate

Plugged In counted four s-words, plus British slang such as 'bloody,' 'wanker,' 'bollocks' and 'shag.' Slurs including 'Paki' and 'lesbo' are used, and a bleeped f-word is heard in the end credits.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Teens kiss and make out, a couple is caught fooling around in a parked car, girls change in bras, and there is crude humor, including a masturbation gesture. An engaged couple is implied to be sleeping together.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Moderate

Parents drink wine, and the young players, around 18, drink at nightclubs; Jess seems tipsy after one night out. One father smokes, and there is some background smoking.

Scary or intense scenes

None

Nothing scary. The tension comes from family arguments and Jess hiding her soccer from her parents.

Sensitive topics

  • Racism

Worth talking about

Jess lies to her parents so she can play, and the film largely rewards it. Talk with your teen about when following your dream turns into deception, and how both sides might have handled it better.

Where to stream →

On our lists

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, the MPA, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.