The Miracle Of Bern reminded me of Wondrous Oblivion, a British film released earlier this year that was about cricket and fatherhood in fifties' South London.

This is in some ways a German equivalent: sweet in its way, but a bit too parochial to hold much interest for foreign audiences.

Football is the sport, specifically the 1954 World Cup, which Germany won, inspiring national euphoria after the shame and hardship of the post-war decade.

Matthias is the mascot for the Germans' star player, The Boss, who despite his nickname (or perhaps because of it) spends most of his time on the bench.

Matthias has his own problems, as his father has just returned from a Russian POW camp, and his failure to readjust is destroying the family.

These two strands are generally effective, if a little blunt. At one point Matthias finds he has just been served his pet rabbit for dinner. As he runs off in tears the soundtrack soars as if the Berlin Wall has just come down.

Still, subtlety isn't everything. Many of the scenes are well handled, especially those on the pitch, and the cinematography and period detail are impressive. Acting-wise, Peter Franke steals the admittedly poorly guarded show, as the team's world-weary manager.

However the script is predictable and hackneyed. The football plot makes no attempt to surprise, so any child will foresee the outcome.

The family scenes are better, but unlike Wondrous Oblivion, this script shows no interest in the more dramatic potential subplots. How do you rebuild a marriage after twelve years apart? How do you feel about a son you never knew existed? The film barely touches on any of these questions.

Nonetheless, The Miracle Of Bern is fairly amusing, and somewhat refreshing after our own attempt at a football film this summer (the deeply unpleasant Football Factory).

David Haviland, July 2004