Barcelona Lionel Messi News 2014: 'Messi' the Movie to Be Released in Spain on New Year's Day
It has been confirmed that the film "Messi," a documentary inspired by Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, will be released in Spanish cinemas on Jan. 1, 2015.
The trailer for the movie has been out for several months, but now the documentary has been given an official release date. A tweet by AS confirmed the news, tweeting the official poster for the film and captioning it with an announcement of the release date.
"Messi" was directed by Alex de la Iglesia, written by Jorge Valdano, produced by Mediapro and is being distributed by Avalon. It explores Messi's early life and his career as a football player.
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The film is complemented with documentary footage, home footage, family recordings, interviews and commentary from various individuals. Moviegoers will get to watch famous football personalities, such as FC Barcelona players Gerard Piqué, Javier Mascherano and Andrés Iniesta, and the likes of César Luis Menotti, Alejandro Sabella Johan Cruyff, Jorge Valdano.
The film had its world premiere in Rio de Janeiro back in July and was shown at the Venice Film Festival, but Spain will be the first country to launch the official theatrical release. However, reception of the film has been mixed.
A review by Jonathan Holland for Hollywood Reporter said some viewers may be disappointed, but any shortcomings off the film may be due to the limited access the filmmakers had to Messi and his family.
Another review by Andrew Barker from Variety stated that the clips of the matches were too long while the dramatic reenactments were too scattered and confusing. He called the work "overly busy" and "slippery" and stated that the film was never able to deliver "a coherent whole."
Messi is considered one of the most famous footballers in history. He became the highest goal scorer in the history of La Liga and the Champions League, surpassing records held by Telmo Zarra and Raul Gonzalez.
