‘BECKHAM’: No one loves David Beckham as much as David Beckham does

‘BECKHAM,’ Netflix’s newest limited series produced by David Beckham himself, is emotionally engaging, edited superbly, and makes four-plus hours fly by. Weariness is fair going in. Any documentary produced by its star is going to cause some scepticism. However, if you grew up engrossed by the Posh and Becks spectacle, this will give an exciting, and sometimes horrifying, look back on what it was like from the inside. 

It is obviously thinly veiled David Beckham propaganda, but that did not inhibit its enjoyment factor during the four hour-long episodes. The key storylines, the characters, including Glenn Hoddle and the press as the villains, and the interview choices were key to piquing interest.

The first two episodes focused on his childhood and years at Manchester United, his red card at the 1998 World Cup, and the aftermath of that red. These went deep into Beckham’s deteriorating mental health and how he dealt with the fear from death threats and public hate at the same time as becoming a new father. 

The third episode focused on his Real Madrid years and marital struggles. With the fourth, and final, episode covering his time with the LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, knowing it was time to retire, and life after being a footballer. No need to worry MLS fans  – Inter Miami and Lionel Messi get screen time at the end. 

The many interviews craft, and sometimes question, David’s story. Victoria, who supposedly filmed around 15 hours of interviews, was the star of the show. Her anger on behalf of David after the 1998 World Cup, pain when talking about the affair allegations, and her fears as a mother all shone through. She openly discussed her husband’s most selfish decisions and how they impacted their family. Victoria came off as witty, reflective, and genuine and the series was better for it. 

The events surrounding the ‘98 red card are key to the first two episodes. Watchers may be surprised by the appearance of Diego Simeone. Shockingly, in contrast to his public persona, he was a great addition to the interview lineup, giving his perspective on the red. Cue one of the best edits in the film – Simeone smirking while a voiceover from the game states there was still a long way to go in the game after England’s early goal.

When asked if Beckham deserved the red, Simeone said, “Absolutely not. Absolutely not. The contact was minimal. You can see I was hamming it up, knocked over by David’s imaginary kick.” For so long, Simeone and Beckham were seen as the villains, but the series clearly paints ex-England manager Hoddle as the antagonist in this story. 

Despite not appearing in film – he supposedly rejected an invitation to interview – Hoddle is conspicuous by his absence. The public vitriol was fueled after he blamed the loss on David’s error, despite the game going to penalties. The death threats, hanging effigies, and abhorrent negative attention were draining for the star’s family and he mentioned a lot of guilt he still feels because of this. Victoria and his parents discussed still holding a lot of hatred and anger toward Hoddle for what he did to David.  

Gary Neville, who appears in all four episodes, and Real Madrid teammates, who first appear as Man United and Real Madrid play each other, deserve honourable mentions for their genuine interviews. They brought laughs, emotion, and added weight to David’s reflections. Neville gleefully mused, “I was a side dish, really. Not the beef. I was the mustard on the side.” He brought balance to Beckham’s play and personality during their time at Manchester United and that balance helped just as much here.

Additionally, director Fisher Stevens’ impact on interviews was clear. His rapport with interviewees made them feel more authentic and, therefore, come off as trustworthy storytellers.

Despite all the positives, there were some large gaps it is hard to overlook. Beyond the first two episodes feeling especially one-sided – it really pushed Beckham as the hero archetype – there was no mention of the pushback from his links with Qatar.

Additionally, David discussed living out his father Ted’s dream of playing for Manchester United. There was debate between his parent’s whether Ted pushed too hard and David talks about how hard his dad was on him to ensure he became a star. Ted eventually said that it must have been okay to be so hard, because it turned out more than okay. This is a troubling image to glorify. This kind of pressurised obsession forced from parent onto child is unhealthy. For a film that openly talks about the impact of events on mental health, this was one glaring miss.

There were many points of cheesiness and it is an overt David Beckham hype-machine – however, this was not necessarily a bad thing. The editing and music choices were key to effectively portraying the plot. Certain scenes almost take a mocking tone by having Beckham say something about himself and then cutting to Victoria, Gary, or Sir Alex Ferguson stating the exact opposite. This ploy worked in humanising Beckham and the wide array of interviews made for a more compelling series.

What really sticks with viewers will be the final scenes. They provide effective closure to Beckham’s ups-and-downs during his playing career, while garnering excitement for what his next post-retirement move will be. As the star himself said, he just does not like to sit still.