United Passions

United Passions

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Frédéric Auburtin
Produced by Louisa Maurin
Written by
  • Frédéric Auburtin
  • Jean-Paul Delfino
Starring
Music by Jean-Pascal Beintus
Cinematography Inti Briones
Edited by Olivier Gajan
Production
companies
  • Leuviah Films
  • Thelma Films
Distributed by Screen Media Films (US)
Release dates
Running time
 110 minutes
Country France
Language English
Budget US$25–32 million[1]
Box office US$918 (North America)[1]
$150,000–200,000[2] (Other territories)

United Passions is a 2014 English-language French drama film about the origins of the world governing body of association football, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Ninety-percent funded by FIFA,[3] it stars Tim Roth, Gérard Depardieu, and Sam Neill, and is directed by Frédéric Auburtin. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2014.

The film's release in North America on 5 June 2015 was particularly unsuccessful, coinciding with the 2015 FIFA corruption case. In the USA the film grossed a mere $918 in its opening weekend and is now considered to be one of the worst films of all time. Globally, the film lost $26.8 million [2] and failed to obtain a theatrical distribution in many markets.

Cast

Production

Principal photography took place in Switzerland, Azerbaijan, France and Brazil.[4] FIFA wanted the film finished for release in the summer of 2014, ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[5] The film's script was completed in four months.[5] FIFA's original title suggestions for the film were Men of Legend and The Dreammakers.[6]

Release

The film's United States release coincided with the 2015 FIFA corruption case, in which several current and former members of FIFA's executive committee were arrested for charges of corruption.[7] The corruption investigation led to the resignation of FIFA's president, Sepp Blatter, following decades of speculation and accusations of corruption at FIFA under his leadership.[8]

The film was accused of ignoring these long-running claims. Roth has said that he asked the filmmakers: "Where's all the corruption in the script? Where is all the back-stabbing, the deals?" He said he attempted to convey these elements through his performance, saying: "It was a tough one. I tried to slide in a sense of it, as much as I could get in there."[9] The film's director, Frédéric Auburtin, claimed he inserted "ironic parts" into the film.[9]

Prior to its release, John Oliver lampooned the film in a segment on his show Last Week Tonight, saying that the "movie, like FIFA itself, looks terrible" and asking, "Who makes a sports film where the heroes are the executives?"[10] The film also faced criticism from media concerning the £16 million cost of production, more than the annual turnover of most of FIFA's national associations.[11][12][13]

Reception

Box office

The film was made on a budget of between $25–32 million,[1] with the Los Angeles Times reporting an estimated budget of $29 million.[14] Roughly £17 million[15] (about US$27 million; 90% of the total budget) was financed by FIFA.[2] The film was reported to have lost around $26.8 million due to its poor theatrical returns.[2]

In North America, the film became an instant box office bomb.[1][16] It opened on Friday, 5 June 2015, and grossed a mere $319 on its opening day from 10 theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Kansas City, Miami, Minneapolis, Houston, Dallas, and Philadelphia, followed by an even worse $288 on Saturday.[1][17] For its three-day opening (Friday-to-Sunday), it grossed only $918 from 10 theaters—the worst opening of all time in the U.S. box office history.[17][18]

The FilmBar theater in Downtown Phoenix reported a gross of just $9, meaning only one person bought a ticket to see the film.[1] The film was pulled down by its distributors following its one weekend appalling performance at the box office. In North America, it ended up becoming the lowest-grossing film of all time,[19] surpassing the previous record held by I Kissed a Vampire ($1,380) in 2012.[6]

For the film's screening at the Zurich Film Festival on 5 October 2014, about 120 people paying $22.70 per ticket viewed the film in a 500-seat cinema.[2][20] Overall, the highest revenue outside of North America came from Russia and the CIS (£144,000), Portugal (£4,000), and Serbia (£2,000) while the profits from Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Ukraine were minimal.[2][20] In France, the film was released straight to DVD.[15]

Auburtin, in his first interview since the film's disastrous US opening in June 2015 told The Hollywood Reporter that he tried to strike a balance between "a Disney propaganda film [and] a Costa-Gavras/Michael Moore movie," but the project ultimately tipped in FIFA's favor. He added, "Now I'm seen as bad as the guy who brought AIDS to Africa or the guy who caused the financial crisis. My name is all over [this mess], and apparently I am a propaganda guy making films for corrupt people."[5]

Roth, who hasn't seen the film and declined repeated requests to speak about the film, confessed in May 2015, before the scandal broke to German newspaper, Die Welt, "Yeah, I apologize I didn't question the director, I didn't question the script," he said. "This is a role that will have my father turning in his grave." He admitted that he took the job for the money, saying it helped him out of a "financial hole," adding, "but you know what? The hole FIFA has dug for itself is so deep, they'll never get out of it."[5]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 0%, with an average rating of 1/10, based on 16 reviews.[21] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 1 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[22] It is now regarded as one of the worst films ever made. The film has been criticized for the poor quality of the drama,[23] the unsuitability of the topic of administrative matters for a movie[24] and the perceived biases of the film, with The Guardian describing it as "cinematic excrement" and "self-hagiography",[23] and others calling it a "cringeworthy, self-aggrandizing affair",[7] and "astonishingly crass".[25]

Several reviewers commented on the irony of the portrayal of Blatter in the film as an anti-corruption campaigner. Sara Stewart of the New York Post described it as "hilariously ill-timed",[26] while Paul Field of the Daily Mirror said that this created "unintentional comedy gold".[27]

Writing in The London Evening Standard, Des Kelly described United Passions as "the worst movie ever made" and "the most extraordinary vanity exercise; a vile, self-aggrandizing, sugar-coated pile of manure where Blatter and Co manage to make North Korea’s Kim Jong-un look self-effacing".[28]

Daniel M. Gold of The New York Times claimed United Passions is "one of the most unwatchable films in recent memory, a dishonest bit of corporate-suite sanitizing that’s no good even for laughs".[29]In a later interview, Gold claimed it would make the top three of his list of all-time bad films.[30]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pamela McClintock (7 June 2015). "Box Office: FIFA Movie 'United Passions' Bombs in U.S.". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jeff Carlisle (6 October 2014). "FIFA film United Passions 'running at a loss of $26.8 million'". ESPN FC. (ESPN). Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Fifa film, starring Tim Roth as Sepp Blatter, is launched at Cannes". The Guardian. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "UNITED PASSIONS– FIRST EXCLUSIVE IMAGE". www.tf1international.com. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Scott Roxborough and Rhonda Richford (17 June 2015). "FIFA Movie Director Breaks Silence on Bomb: "It's a Disaster; My Name Is All Over [This Mess]"". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  6. 1 2 ESPN Staff (19 June 2015). "FIFA film 'United Passions' one of worst in U.S. box office history". ESPN FC. (ESPN). Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 Scheck, Frank. "'United Passions': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Parker, Graham (2 June 2015). "Sepp Blatter: A history of scandal". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  9. 1 2 Parkinson, Justin (19 June 2014). "United Passions: How Fifa spent £16m on a film where Sepp Blatter is a hero". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: FIFA and the World Cup (HBO)" on YouTube
  11. ↑ Sale, Charles (11 June 2014). "UEFA critics hit out at Sepp Blatter's £16m FIFA history film United Passions". Daily Mail. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  12. ↑ O'Callaghan, Eoin (22 May 2014). "Finally! The FIFA movie 'United Passions' debuts at Cannes". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Manfred, Tony. "The Trailer For FIFA's $27-Million Propaganda Film Feels Like A Parody". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  14. ↑ Michael Rechtshaffen (4 June 2015). "FIFA-bankrolled 'United Passions' kicks far wide of its goal". Los Angeles Times. (Tribune Publishing). Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  15. 1 2 James Riach (25 October 2014). "Fifa film United Passions is PR exercise that rankles even with its stars". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  16. ↑ Austin Knoblauch (8 June 2015). "'United Passions,' which cost FIFA $29 million, has $607 box-office take". Los Angeles Times. (Tribune Publishing). Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  17. 1 2 Pamela McClintock (9 June 2015). "Box Office: FIFA Movie 'United Passions' Red-Carded in U.S. With $300 Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  18. ↑ Pamela McClintock (17 June 2015). "Box-Office Bombs: 6 of the Lowest U.S. Openings of All Time". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  19. ↑ Ben Child (18 June 2015). "Fifa's United Passions confirmed as lowest-grossing film in US history". The Guardian. (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  20. 1 2 Simon Rice (6 October 2014). "Fifa film United Passions cost £19m, so far it has made £125,000 at the box office". The Independent. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  21. ↑ United Passions at Rotten Tomatoes
  22. ↑ "United Passions". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  23. 1 2 Hoffman, Jordan. "United Passions review – Fifa propaganda is pure cinematic excrement". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  24. ↑ Berry, Dan (2 June 2015). "FIFA Film: An Epic Fantasy". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  25. ↑ Thomas, Andi (7 October 2014). "Reviewing 'United Passions', FIFA's bizarre propaganda film". SB Nation. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  26. ↑ Stewart, Sara (3 June 2015). "Lame 'United Passions' an ironic ode to glory of FIFA". New York Post. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  27. ↑ Field, Paul (3 June 2015). "United Passions review: FIFA's hideous £16 million movie is unintentional comedy gold". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  28. ↑ Sugar-coated FIFA film is spreading around Europe like a virus Des Kelly, London Evening Standard, 27 October 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  29. ↑ Review: In ‘United Passions,’ a Fictionalized FIFA, Underwritten by the Soccer Group By Daniel M. Gold. New York Times, 4 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  30. ↑ ""United Passions" not getting good reviews". CNN. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
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