Baggio: The Divine Ponytail

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Baggio: The Divine Ponytail
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Baggio: The Divine Ponytail is an Italian biopic about the life of Italian soccer legend, Roberto Baggio. Nicknamed "The Divine Ponytail," because of his iconic hairstyle, Buddhist beliefs, and soccer genius, Baggio is one of Italy's most loved soccer players of all-time. He had an incredibly successful career with 205 club goals, 27 international goals, and 318 goals in all competitions (the fifth highest scoring Italian of all-time). He won two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, and is the only Italian to score in three World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998). The film follows Baggio through early injuries that threatened a premature end to his career, to some of his greatest triumphs and goals during World Cups, to his most notable lows, like his infamous penalty kick miss at the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil. There's no sexual content or violence, except for a few duck hunting scenes, but nothing shown is graphic. However, expect some strong language ("f--k," "f--king," "s--t," and "ass").
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What's the Story?
In BAGGIO: THE DIVINE PONYTAIL, Roberto Baggio (Andrea Arcangeli) faces some setbacks early in his career but finds peace after a friend (Riccardo Goretti) introduces him to Buddhism and meditation. By the time Baggio is at the 1994 World Cup, he's ready to fulfill the promise he made to his father (Andrea Pennacchi). But things don't always go the way we dream it. Will Baggio be able to find peace again after one of soccer's most famous penalty kick misses?
Is It Any Good?
Far from a comprehensive look at Roberto Baggio's life, this biopic takes a more singular route to presenting this soccer legend's story. Strangely, instead of focusing on the soccer itself, Baggio: The Divine Ponytail chooses to present thin off-field narratives that mainly focus on Baggio's inner turmoil and pressures as he battles injuries, confidence struggles, and transfer gossip. The problem is that none of these narrative threads are connected well. This is notably highlighted by the many sudden jumps in time, often fast-forwarding years ahead, without any review or summary of what has happened to Baggio during the interim. Indeed, this last point underscores how soccer fans (and perhaps fans old enough to remember Baggio) will likely view this movie differently. For example, if you know of Baggio prior to watching this movie, you already know he's a legend, of his club career with various Italian Serie A powerhouses (Fiorintina, Juventus, A.C. Milan), about his penalty kick miss in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil, and about his last years at Brescia. Without this kind of knowledge, however, watching this film might be confusing, as there are no signposts along the way that establish, year by year or season by season, what Baggio did on the pitch. There are no highlights of his goals, stunning free kicks, dribbling ability, or amazing "man of the match" performances. At various points when the film jumps ahead years, fans may be able to fill in the gaps, but non-fans might be confused.
While there's some attempt at showing what life is like for a professional European footballer in the 1990s on the field, there are only close-up dramatizations of certain moments from famous matches. Finally, the movie doesn't end satisfyingly. Despite the film setting up a particular kind of redemption finale, we don't get it. The film suggests that Baggio didn't get called up for the 1998 World Cup (never having a chance to redeem himself for his infamous miss in 1994) and instead had to accept failure and "rescue" Brescia from relegation (this actually happened 2 years after the 1998 World Cup). Fans and non-fans alike might expect more closure (and redemption) to the scattered story arc, like showing Baggio score 2 goals in the 1998 World Cup, including a penalty kick during Italy's first match (thus redeeming his infamous miss 4 years prior).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sports and how they are represented in movies. How does Baggio: The Divine Ponytail represent soccer? Do you think the film represents soccer well? Why or why not?
Discuss the genre of biopics. In your opinion, did this movie succeed as a biopic? Why or why not?
Was the end of this movie satisfying? If so, why do you think that is? If not, what could have made the ending more satisfying?
How did Baggio embody the character strength of perseverance?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: May 26, 2021
- Cast: Andrea Arcangeli, Valentina Belle, Thomas Trabacchi, Andrea Pennacchi, Antonio Zavatteri
- Director: Letizia Lamartire
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts
- Character Strengths: Perseverance
- Run time: 91 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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