Gascoigne (2015)

The Age of Commercialism

Overrated and overhyped

Better Late Then Never

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Having been born in 1990, I have very little, if any, solid memories of Paul Gascoigne on a football field. Sadly for me I seem to know more about his off the field problems that I did of his actual football career.This documentary is narrated by Paul Gascoigne himself, he talks us through his club career, England career and some of his personal off the field moments. I would have liked to have heard more about his personal life but sadly he didn't really delve into that in much depth, however when he did he seemed to get very upset – making it quite uncomfortable and upsetting to view. I wouldn't give it a lesser rating based on the fact that he didn't talk about his private life as it quite clear he wanted to focus on his football career (England in particular). Seeing Paul talk about England with such fondness and joy was refreshing to see, he saw it as the greatest honour to represent his country and you get the impression that those memories mean more to him than anything else.The documentary has appearances from a few other faces in football, Gary Lineker offering the majority of the support with Wayne Rooney and even Jose Mourinho (for some unknown reason?) giving their input on Pauls story. The editing starts to get quite irritating the more the film goes on, the use of slow motion shots are a little BT Sport esc and are cringey to see the least. Slow motion scenes of Gary Lineker laughing hysterically, while staring past the camera into the distance and then running his hands through his quiff start to get tiresome when they use it for the 10th time in less than an hour.Overall this documentary isn't without its negatives but I did find it to be very entertaining, I hadn't really seen an recap of Paul Gascoignes football career and with me having very few memories of his playing days, I found myself quite hooked while watching this. He is clearly a very troubled man and the joy you could see he got from reliving this football days were quite special to see. He came across quite a humble man who seems to have been battling his demons since he was a very young boy, it is such a shame.8/10

I personally love football documentaries especially those that profile players such as gifted as 'Gazza'. This movie would hold sentimental value to Newcastle, Tottenham and England fans alike. it is a precise, emotional and exciting portrayal of an English footballer who was able to ply his trade in 3 European Leagues. For more than fifteen years playing professional football, Gazza came under a lot of pressure from friends, enemies and himself to become the best that he could be.The documentary is a nostalgic, well done, description of Paul Gascoigne's experiences. The film brings us close to The player as a person and shows us what football really meant to England's best striker to date..with Sir Bobby Charlton being an exception of course.Gazza made history by joining Tottenham in June 1988 after snubbing an offer from Sir Alex Ferguson himself. This fact alone makes this movie special to me because it was the year and month when i was born (June 88). The inclusion of Gascoigne's modern day equal, Wayne 'Wazza' Rooney, Chelsea Manager, Jose Mourinho and another England Hall of famer, Gary Lineker as commentators to Paul's career, should indicate to any '90s kid who (shockingly) has not heard of GAZZA that ignorance IS NOT bliss.

This is an enjoyable documentary about the genius footballer that is Paul Gascoigne. It's great to see him in a good place at the moment and he looks happy in the film. It's not groundbreaking. You are not going hear or see anything you haven't before and he doesn't get into the personal side of his life too much but if you wan't a historical account of his life , with some great footage , from the man who knows best - this is it. There are vox pops with José Mourinho ( not sure why ) , Gary Lineker and Wayne Rooney and the close up shots of them are slightly distracting but it's Paul you really wan't to hear from . 6 out of 10

Now a days when we hear the name 'Paul Gascoigne' buzz words enter our head to fit the meaning of that name. Words such as "druggie, alcoholic, mad, crazy, and legend". Although he made his mistakes in the past, like anybody else, we should all never forget the amazing footballer he once was.I personally think director Jane Preston has done a wonderful job in this documentary by making us all remember the heroics on and off the pitch of the legend that is, Paul Gascoigne. With fitting tributes in this feature by the likes Gary Lineker, José Mourinho and Wayne Rooney all sharing their admiration of the talent Gazza is.Gascoigne talks to the camera for the majority of this documentary as he speaks joyfully, fondly, happily and at times emotionally about his career. If you are a fan of football, a fan of Paul Gascoigne, a fan of sporting heroes, then I ensure you, this is a must-watch for you.