It has been
confirmed that the film "Messi," a documentary inspired by Argentine
footballer Lionel Messi, will be released in Spanish cinemas on Jan. 1, 2015.
The trailer
for the movie has been out for several months, but now the documentary has been
given an official release date. A tweet by AS confirmed the news, tweeting the
official placard for the film and captioning it with an announcement of the
release date.
"Messi"
was directed by Alex de la Iglesia, written by Jorge Valdano, produced by
Mediapro and is being distributed by Avalon. It explores Messi's early life and
his career as a football player.
The film is
complemented with documentary recording, home footage, family recordings,
interviews and commentary from various individuals. Moviegoers will get to
watch famous football personalities, such as FC Barcelona players Gerard Piqué,
Javier Mascherano and Andrés Iniesta, and the likes of César Luis Menotti,
Alejandro Sabella Johan Cruyff, Jorge Valdano.
The film had
its world opening in Rio de Janeiro back in July and was shown at the Venice
Film Festival, but Spain will be the first country to launch the official
theatrical release. but, reception of the film has been mixed.
A review by
Jonathan Holland for Hollywood Reporter said some viewers may be disappointed,
but any shortcomings off the film may be due to the limited access the filmmakers
had to Messi and his family.
Another review by Andrew Barker from Variety stated that the clips of the matches were too long while the dramatic reenactments were too scattered and confusing. He called the work "overly busy" and "slippery" and stated that the film was never able to deliver "a coherent whole."
Another review by Andrew Barker from Variety stated that the clips of the matches were too long while the dramatic reenactments were too scattered and confusing. He called the work "overly busy" and "slippery" and stated that the film was never able to deliver "a coherent whole."
Messi is careful
one of the most famous footballers in history. He became the maximum goal
scorer in the history of La Liga and the Champions League, surpassing records
held by Telmo Zarra and Raul Gonzalez.