Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Pelé

Play trailer 0:37 Poster for Pelé 2021 1h 49m Documentary Biography Sports & Fitness Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
84% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
This documentary feature tells the story of iconic footballer Pelé, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he attained. As well as unprecedented interview access to Pelé, the film includes astounding archive footage and interviews with legendary former team-mates including Zagallo, Jairzinho and Rivellino. The story looks back at the extraordinary 12-year period in which Pelé, the only man to win three World Cup titles, went from young superstar in 1958 to national hero in 1970; a radical yet turbulent era in Brazil's history.

Where to Watch

Pelé

Pelé

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Perhaps at penalty for being overtly conventional, Pelé rewards fútbol fans with incredible archival footage of a king on the field while peripherally examining his relationship with Brazil's politics.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard 03/01/2021
3/5
Pelé's contradictions are fascinating. Go to Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times 02/26/2021
3/5
Nicholas and Tryhorn's new film for Netflix, though plenty laudatory, presents a contemplative Pelé that appears human after all Go to Full Review Nick Schager The Daily Beast 02/26/2021
A fitting tribute to both the man and the myth, unwilling to turn a blind eye to his shortcomings and yet perceptive enough to recognize that his failings were secondary to his athletic brilliance. Go to Full Review Geoffrey Macnab iNews.co.uk 01/16/2025
3/5
Whatever the frustrations of this film, it is full of glorious archive footage of its subject playing football in his prime, which alone makes it well worth watching. Go to Full Review Brett Doze InSession Film 05/02/2023
B
Once you get past the film’s refusal to dive into some of the pertinent areas the way it probably should, it is still a pleasurable experience as a gateway into learning more about Pelé and Brazil. Go to Full Review William Tucker But Why Tho? 01/16/2023
10/10
Pelé is not a football documentary. It is the tale of one man and one nation, presented gloriously...So much of the history of Brazil is told all through the actions of a remarkable individual. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Black B @RT94109295 10/04/2023 Un documental de este gran futbolista que nos da todo lo que fue en su tiempo y mas en especifico un panorama de lo que era Brasil en esa época. See more Gareth v @geewah 06/18/2023 While it touches on some of the personal & professional issues Pele faced while playing in and for Brazil, it does fall flat in highlighting the sheer footballing genius of Pele. It's okay but should of been so much better See more 10/03/2021 Un excelente documental que aborda de manera sublime el ascenso y gloria de uno de los más grandes futbolistas. See more 07/06/2021 Documentary from the worlds greatest footballer. It's taking us through his incredible career. We mostly see old clips while he chat over it, sometimes he or other close to him get's interviewed. I found this film pretty boring quite fast. The guy was brillinat, but not very interesting to be fair. I fell out of it quite fast and it ended up being something that played in the backround. 4 ouf of 10 goals. See more 03/03/2021 I didn't finish it. IMO it became quite boring. But I'm not a big fan of football. See more Michael W @mawilps 03/01/2021 This sports documentary was very good. The crew did a spectacular job on documenting everything about the soccer legend Pele and how he became not only a legend but a hero to his native country of Brazil. It gives you a deep insight into how Pele felt during his time as a soccer player and what he did to inspire a nation. If you're a Netflix member, you should definitely watch this documentary sometime. Even if you're not a soccer fan, you'll enjoy it. See more Read all reviews
Pelé

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Ben Nicholas

Director

David Tryhorn

Director

Pelé

Self

Felipe Kim

Music

Matteo Bini

Film Editing

Andrew Hewitt

Film Editing

More Like This

View All
Sly 81% 83% Sly Watchlist TRAILER for Sly The Man You Don't Know % 68% The Man You Don't Know Watchlist Mickey: The Story of a Mouse 89% 89% Mickey: The Story of a Mouse Watchlist TRAILER for Mickey: The Story of a Mouse Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall 91% 95% Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall Watchlist Walking in the Movies % % Walking in the Movies Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Pelé

Pelé: Teaser Trailer 1 Pelé: Teaser Trailer 1 0:37 Pelé: Trailer 1 Pelé: Trailer 1 1:53 View more videos
View All

Pelé

Pelé (2021) Pelé (2021) Pelé (2021) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary feature tells the story of iconic footballer Pelé, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he attained. As well as unprecedented interview access to Pelé, the film includes astounding archive footage and interviews with legendary former team-mates including Zagallo, Jairzinho and Rivellino. The story looks back at the extraordinary 12-year period in which Pelé, the only man to win three World Cup titles, went from young superstar in 1958 to national hero in 1970; a radical yet turbulent era in Brazil's history.
Director
Ben Nicholas, David Tryhorn
Production Co
Pitch Productions
Genre
Documentary, Biography, Sports & Fitness
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 23, 2021
Runtime
1h 49m