Film

Best (1999)

Director: Mary McGuckian

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

From the opening - a studio mock-up ringing to awkward laughter, where an embarrassed George Best (Lynch, subdued), minded by fellow footballer Rodney Marsh (Daltrey), defends his reputation to interviewer Clive Anderson - the uneasy tone of this part tribute (Best served as script consultant), part history of the great Manchester United player is established. It's a familiar tale: of a boy uprooted (he was taken from Belfast as a 15-year-old), his long wait, his glory years on the field, his 'pop' celebrity, his women (represented by Kensit's Anna), and then the long, slow descent as gambling and booze take over. The film is scrappily put together, the re-creations of the great footballing moments don't work, the 30-year 'father-son' relationship of Best and Matt Busby (Bannen) is overly drawn out, and the whole is slightly seedy and unenlightening. Lynch's professional gives the impression of a completely unremarkable man as much damned as blessed by an extraordinary talent.

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