Once in a Lifetime

Once upon a time—for a fleeting moment—Americans loved soccer, said Lou Lumenick in the New York Post. Or rather, they loved the New York Cosmos. The team's unlikely rise began in 1971, when the semi-pro outfit that struggled to draw 100 fans to its games on Randalls Island was bought by Warner Communications chairman Steve Ross. Ross shelled out millions to lure the legendary Brazilian player Pelé to the team. The star was soon joined by pricey recruits from 13 countries, and by 1977 the Cosmos were selling out the 77,000 seats of Giants Stadium. Once in a Lifetime takes the Cosmos' 15 minutes of fame and stretches them to a thrilling 97 minutes, said Stephen Williams in Newsday. The documentary unspools in a 'œbreezy, fast-cut style,' backed by a rowdy soundtrack that ranges from Puccini to James Brown. The film focuses on the players—on and off the field—interspersing interviews with news footage. But it's particularly enamored of Pelé. A choice scene shows Pelé's introduction to the press at '21' Club, where he was heckled by a reporter who called soccer a sport for immigrants. For a brief time, the Cosmos changed all that, said Marco R. della Cava in USA Today. Like rock stars, they had their own table at Studio 54, had scandalous sex on airplanes, and even posed nude in magazines. But the fun fizzled when the team was done in by infighting and declining television ratings. One can't help but wonder if another Cosmos could come to pass, but the truth is that a soccer team that could wrest Americans' attention away from the NBA, NFL, and Major League Baseball 'œtruly was once in a lifetime.'

Rating: PG-13

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