Believe (2013)

★ 6.1 1h 34m IMDb

A young, gifted soccer player who gets into trouble for a petty crime is brought to the attention of former Manchester United coach Matt Busby, who comes out of retirement to help the boy and his teammates.

Believe

Where to Watch

Netflix Netflix
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video
Disney Plus Disney Plus
Max Max
HBO Max HBO Max
Hulu Hulu
Paramount Plus Paramount Plus
Apple TV Plus Apple TV Plus
Peacock Peacock
Showtime Showtime
Starz Starz
Paramount+ with Showtime Paramount+ with Showtime

Rent / Buy

Rent

Apple TV Apple TV
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies
Amazon Video Amazon Video
YouTube YouTube
Vudu Vudu
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home

Buy

Apple TV Apple TV
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies
Amazon Video Amazon Video
YouTube YouTube
Vudu Vudu
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home

Cast

Natascha McElhone
Natascha McElhone as Erica Gallagher Age 56 · Surrey, England, UK Natascha McElhone (born 14 December 1969) is an English actress of stage, screen and television, best known for her roles in Ronin, The Truman Show and Solaris. McElhone also plays a leading role in t...
Brian Cox
Brian Cox as Matt Busby Age 79 · Dundee, Scotland, UK Brian Denis Cox (born June 1, 1946) is a Scottish actor. A classically trained Shakespearean actor, he is known for his work on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include two Laurence Olivier Aw...
Toby Stephens
Toby Stephens as Dr. Farquar Age 56 · Fitzrovia, London, England, UK Toby Stephens (born April 21, 1969) is an British actor of stage, film, and television. He is best known for his roles in Die Another Day (2002), Jane Eyre (2006), Black Sails (2014 – 2017), and Percy...
Kate Ashfield
Kate Ashfield as Helen Age 53 · Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK Kate Ashfield (born 28 May 1972) is a British actress, best known for her award-winning roles as Jody in the Anglo-German film Late Night Shopping, as Sadie MacGregor in the British film This Little L...
Anne Reid
Anne Reid as Jean Busby Age 90 · Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK Anne Reid, MBE is an English stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street; Jean in the sitcom dinnerladies; and her BAFTA-nominated rol...
Philip Jackson
Philip Jackson as Bob Age 77 · Retford, Nottinghamshire, England, UK Philip Jackson (born 18 June 1948) is an English actor, known for his many television and film roles, most notably as Chief Inspector Japp in the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot and as Abbo...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 6/10 May 15, 2015
Oh Manchester, so much to answer for.

Believe is a British football movie that finds the legendary Sir Matt Busby (Brian Cox) coaching a kids 7 a side football team. Matt Busby was the manager of Manchester United Football Club, who lost their team of starlets (known as The Busby Babes) to the Munich air crash of 1958. Busby would then go on to rebuild the team and make them into a world force, one that still exists today. Here he is in long retirement exile, but still moulding young football minds. It's based on true events.

We have a heavy dose of sentimentality on offer here, not just with the flashbacks to the tragic loss of The Busby Babes, but also to the working class kids of terrace housed Manchester. Of single parents trying to make ends meet, of kids with absent fathers erring on the wrong side of the law, education a dangled carrot just out of reach.

However, the sentimentality is not cloying, it's well handled and performed, but the pic never gets to uplift status. It has some good laughs in the mix, usually when Toby Stephens' pompous school tutor is on screen, while the ultimate conclusion - even though it's what we expect - warms the cockles, but it never branches out to be more than just a family film for kiddies who like football, or for Manchester folk eager for anything involving Sir Matt Busby.

It makes for a decent "B" movie support to There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, though not nearly as good as that film. Cox, Stephens and the tender Busby Babes sequences (very Field of Dreams) make it worth a watch, but it should have been smarter and better. 6/10

Similar Movies