A Modest Proposal

Jesminder Bhamra (Parminder K. Nagra) lives in London with her traditional parents. Her father (Anupam Kher) and mother (Shaheen Khan) are thrilled to have their eldest daughter Pinky (Archie Panjabi) marrying a nice Indian boy. Jess isn't interested in things like that; she's more concerned with soccer and fantasizing playing next to her idol David Beckham. Her parents are not fond of this hobby, but as long as it does not interfere with her future, they grudgingly go along with it. Then events set up a path for Jess that will interfere with her parents' idea of their daughter's future. Jess is recruited by Jules (Keira Knightley) for a non-professional league. The coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is impressed with Jess' skills and agrees with Jules that she would be an asset to the team. Her parents find out and do not approve. Her mother attempts to replace the love for sports
It shows, especially when the relationship turns into a predictable case of mistaken sexual orientation ("Lesbian? I thought she was a Pisces."). Jess and Jules have a believable friendship, so we're invested in their eventual fight when a romance develops between Jess and Joe, with whom Jules has an infatuation as well. The romance is refreshing because it's not important to Jess' succeeding or being happy; it only complements her success on the field. All of it turns out all right, of course, and there's a big game with an American agent who's come to watch Jess and Jules. A lot of nice messages develop from the characters. Jess does what she wants but it's only when she confronts her parents truthfully that she is able to do play with a clean conscience. There's also a respect for and comfort with the characters' culture that could come only from one who has lived it, and director Gurinder Chadha's cheerful reverence comes through