Shaolin Soccer

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Shaolin Soccer

2001

1h 51m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

93 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

All his life, an ordinary young man (Stephen Chow) has been treated like dirt. Still, he's never given up believing that all the world's problems could be solved with a little kung fu. So he's teaming up with a band of misfits - six friends who were kung fu masters in their youth - to form a soccer team that only he believes has a chance to win a $1 million grand prize. Together, they're going to apply their hidden talents to a whole new game -- and soccer will never be the same.

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Critics Consensus

The plot is utterly ridiculous, and the soccer in the movie is unlike any ever played anywhere on Earth, but watching Shaolin Soccer, you will probably find it impossible to care.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 28, 2010

4/5

Untraditional underdog sports team story.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Mar 26, 2007

A spirited crowd-pleaser.

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Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

You could call it a guilty pleasure, but that would suggest you feel bad about enjoying yourself.

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Apr 2, 2023

3/5

The absurdity and action makes this enjoyable. It's ridiculous but it swings for the fences and even though it's not a home run, it's so much fun.

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

Apr 2, 2023

2/5

It is creative and unique enough where I can say I've never seen anything like this before. Having said that, I'll never see this again because it's just too much chaos for me to enjoy.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jan 5, 2018

... full of Chow’s trademark talents, from martial arts spoofing to verbal games, and it’s a lot of fun watching him goof through the creation of a team consisting of his Shaolin brothers into the Harlem Globetrotters of soccer...

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zoop S

@zoopswishington Sep 15, 2026

One of the movies of all time. Never seen anything like it.

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Landon S

@adenoidmarlin78 Aug 17, 2026

Most funny and unserious movie I’ve ever seen. Would watch again

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Jacob B

@JB3.0 Jul 18, 2026

Had to get one last football-themed film in here before this year's World Cup concludes so what better flick than one Hong Kong cinema's biggest successes at the time: Shaolin Soccer? Watched the original version, not the English dub because I'm not watching an incomplete film. Anyway, this film is ridiculous but really fun, as is apparently the norm with Stephen Chow. I'll admit I enjoyed Kung Fu Hustle more since this film does take some time to get going (you know, maybe Miramax trimming things out was understandable, they just overcompensated) but this sports comedy is still a winner in its own right. It has hilarious moments, memorable characters and the football sequences are over-the-top awesomesauce. I'd probably watch more football if it was more like this. Never thought I'd see Matrix logic applied to a sports film yet here we are. No wonder this film found an audience outside of HK, albeit with edits because apparently people had TikTok attention spans, even back in 2001.

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Par H

@Parhwy Jul 1, 2026

Shaolin Soccer (2001) is an 89-minute-long Hong Kong action/comedy I saw on Netflix in June 2026. This film had me cry-laughing on more than one occasion. The editing, cinematography, stunts, green-screening – all are doing a lot of work, and well, really well. The story and plot are simple, unproblematic. I took so few notes watching this film, good or bad, it was too silly, so funny. Rewatch? Maybe! Recommend? Yes. 7/10.

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Guilherme M

@GuilhermeRT Dec 14, 2025

Super cliche, stupid plot, that makes it perfect for this movie specifically. Shaolin Soccer uses the absurd and imprevisibility with free will, wich factor made the movie so loved.

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Leo I

@RT41916375 Nov 11, 2025

Shaolin soccer is the best movie of all time. I loved the special effects and acting. The actors are the best! The movie is about a guy, that wants to teach a type of kung fu, with his brothers he accomplishes that. I really recomend this movie, you can watch with your family. My favorite actor is Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan, the goalkeeper of the team, he is funny and the best.

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Synopsis

All his life, an ordinary young man (Stephen Chow) has been treated like dirt. Still, he's never given up believing that all the world's problems could be solved with a little kung fu. So he's teaming up with a band of misfits - six friends who were kung fu masters in their youth - to form a soccer team that only he believes has a chance to win a $1 million grand prize. Together, they're going to apply their hidden talents to a whole new game -- and soccer will never be the same.

Director: Stephen Chow, Lee Lik-Chi
Producer: Kwok-fai Yeung
Screenwriter: Stephen Chow, Kan-Cheung Tsang, Lee Lik-Chi, Min Hun Fung
Production Co: Miramax, Universe Entertainment, Star Overseas
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Action
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $488.9K
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround

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