Metegol (Spanish for table football; also known in English as Underdogs in the United States, The Unbeatables in the United Kingdom and sometimes as Foosball) is a 2013 animated sports comedy film co-written, produced, directed and edited by Juan J. Campanella. The film is loosely based on the short story Memorias de un wing derecho (Memoirs of a Right Winger) by Argentine writer Roberto Fontanarrosa.[6] Gaston Gorali, co-writer and producer of the film, and Eduardo Sacheri (who had previously worked with Campanella for the classic film The Secret in Their Eyes) developed the screenplay with Campanella.
The film is an Argentinean-Spanish production, and was released by Universal Pictures International Entertainment in Argentina on 18 July 2013, setting an all-time record for an Argentine film opening at the box-office.[4] Costing $21 million, the film is the most expensive Argentine film of all time, and the most expensive Latin American animated feature ever.[4] In 2014, The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to distribute the film in North America. After numerous delays, including an August 2015 theatrical release that was scrapped last minute, the North American English-language version was released on DVD in July 2016.[7] The film was available on Netflix in the United States in June 2016.[8]
The film received mixed reviews upon its international release; it has a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews, while scoring a 38% weighted average score on Metacritic, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
A father who is putting his son to sleep narrates him a story, beginning by telling him to use his imagination while listening.
Many years ago, Amadeo, a timid boy and the best table football player around, was working in a bar in a small and quiet town. He loved Laura, a girl he met in the bar, but she did not know. While showing Laura the table football table, a bully named Grosso arrives and challenges Amadeo to a game in front of Laura. Although Amadeo refuses to play at first, he is victorious, and everyone at the bar applauds. Outside of the bar, Grosso encounters a manager who offers to take him on.
Seven years later, Amadeo's simple routine falls apart when Grosso becomes the best football player in the world, and returns to the small town to avenge the only defeat in his life. Now that he is famous, Grosso announces that he has purchased the whole village (as the town's mayor escapes in a helicopter), and builds a gigantic football stadium, although he is more interested in owning the table football table where he lost to Amadeo and destroying the bar where he was defeated. He also wants to win the affection of Laura.
With football, the bar and even his soul destroyed, Amadeo discovers something magical: in the face of adversity, the town's table football players talk and plan. Together they embark on a journey full of adventures to save Laura. Along the way, they become a real team, and while Grosso turns the town into a giant stadium and forms a soccer team, Amadeo recruits members of his table football team along with those of his own, and also forms a soccer team to challenge Grosso for their town.
At the game, Grosso's team takes the early lead, but the table football players help Amadeo's team to tie the game. However, with seconds to go, Grosso deliberately injures Amadeo, who is unable to stop him from scoring the winning goal. As Grosso gloats and celebrates his victory, the crowd instead praises Amadeo's good sportsmanship, and Grosso is rejected by his fans for his selfishness and his manager abandons him while his teammates also congratulate Amadeo, who reunites with Laura in the end. Amadeo, Laura, and their friends build a new town in honor of them.
The father, Amadeo, finishes his story and leaves his son's bedroom, but he remains awake and hears voices well into the night. Going outside to the shed to investigate, he finds Amadeo and the table football players conversing at the table football table. Heartened by this, he joins them.
The film was announced on 27 November 2009.[9] The voices of the main characters of the cast are Pablo Rago, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Fabian Gianola, Horacio Fontova and David Masajnik.[10]
Sergio Pablos, executive producer and creator of the original idea and story for Despicable Me, acted as animation director for 20 minutes of the film, and advised Campanella on direction.[11] The rest of the film was animated under the directions of Federico Radero and Mario Serie.[12]
Puerto Rican band Calle 13 composed and performed the original song of the movie.
Based on 15 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a positive rating of 67%, with an average rating of 5.64/10.[21] On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 38 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[22]
Conversely, reception to the original Spanish version was far more positive, with review aggregator Todas las Críticas marking an average score of 71 out of 100.[23]
