Year : 2004 Director : Somching Srisuparp Starring : Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Komsun Sritarntho, Samrith Michaelsen Genre : Comedy
Unorthodox football team, "Sagai United", are plucked from their remote home in Yala Province and head to Bangkok for the first time in their lives. They're chosen to compete against the best in a national competition. An underdog team of villagers, they're treated like clowns and are desperately lacking any modern image. However, their unique style on the pitch is set to take everyone by surprise, but do they have what it takes to beat the big teams?
A disgraced coach discovers a football team with some very unusual skills. The team is made up of bare footed tribesmen from a remote part of south Thailand. He tracks them down and convinces the team to go to Bangkok and take part in the annual Kings Cup competition. A classic tale of country bumpkins meet city slickers with the usual exploitation, humiliation and comical moments that follow.
Not the best comedy I've ever seen, but a pleasant change from the incessant slapstick too often the basis of some other Thai comedies. One part of the film did go a little overboard paying homage to the King, something that didn't quite seem to fit in with the plot, but it is after all a Thai film, so why not?
A simple script with simple humour, it'll never win any awards or grand adulation, but a harmless piece of light entertainment nonetheless. I've seen far worse come out of Hollywood.