Common Sense Media Review
By Jose Solis
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Brazilian soccer docu with sports injuries, strong language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
USA 94: Brazil's Return to Glory
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In USA 94: BRAZIL'S RETURN TO GLORY, filmmaker Luis Ara looks back at Brazil's national soccer team during the 1994 World Cup in the United States. The documentary uses archival footage and present-day interviews with players including Romário, Bebeto, Dunga, Branco, Raí, Zinho, Viola, Jorginho, and others connected to the tournament. Players from Brazil and other countries remember the matches, the pressure around the team, and the moments that shaped Brazil's run. The film also includes memories of Ayrton Senna, whose death happened the same year, and follows how Brazil's players carried hopes, grief, and national pride into the World Cup.
Is It Any Good?
This sports film will certainly please rabid soccer fans. Can a documentary about a legendary victory make triumph feel personal again when everybody already knows the score? USA 94: Brazil's Return to Glory does, because director Luis Ara treats Brazil's fourth World Cup title as a journey back to joy after years of pressure and the deaths of players Dener and Ayrton Senna. The film offers enough context for viewers who don't live and breathe soccer, then builds the final penalty shootout with real suspense. Present-day players step back into their younger selves and each kick gathers tension even though history has already spoiled the ending.
In the private recordings, the players still look young enough to be surprised by the size of what they were chasing. Locker rooms and off-field celebrations catch them before the myth hardened around them, while the present-day interviews let the older players look back with a tenderness their younger selves might not have known how to show. The documentary mostly celebrates, and its patriotism stays earnest without getting syrupy. The film could have gone deeper on Black Brazilian icons like Pelé and Viola, but it still honors the legacy they helped create. Victory matters here because Ara understands that a trophy carries more weight when the people holding it remember what they had been carrying all along.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why sports can become so important to a country's identity. How can a team represent more than just a game?
Why does preserving old footage, interviews, and memories matter? What would be lost if people didn't keep archives?
The movie shows players praising opponents and teammates years later. What does that teach about respect, even in competition?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : June 7, 2026
- Cast : Pele , Dunga , Gilmar Rinaldi
- Director : Luis Ara
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , South American Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Sports ( Soccer )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time : 86 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : June 9, 2026
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