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Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

Play trailer Poster for Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos PG-13 2006 1h 37m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
83% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
This documentary looks back on a time when soccer briefly captured America's attention. The film profiles the North American Soccer League franchise the New York Cosmos and the sensation it created back in the 1970s. Using archival footage, old photos and anecdotes from former players and businessmen, it tells the story -- or several conflicting stories -- of a team starring Brazilian soccer legend Pele, formed by non-sports people and ultimately submarined by the league's excessive expansion.
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Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

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Critics Consensus

You don't have to be a soccer fan to enjoy this stylish, breezy slice of 1970s sports history.

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Critics Reviews

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Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle Aug 19, 2006
3/5
Packed with observations and recrimations, many of the latter aimed at or by Chinaglia, which makes for some gossipy entertainment. Go to Full Review Peter Debruge Miami Herald Aug 13, 2006
2/4
... treats its audience like a bunch of attention deficit disorder cases. Go to Full Review Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution Aug 13, 2006
B
... accomplishes the minor miracle of making you mourn a sports team you likely never knew existed in the first place. Go to Full Review Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Aug 7, 2008
2/5
Leigh Singer Film4 Aug 4, 2008
4/5
Well-researched and exuberantly compiled, this is a thoroughly entertaining tribute to America's first tackle at surgically implanting the beautiful game. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Dec 3, 2006
B-
Not being a soccer fan, the Cosmos phenomenon had no impact on me at the time nor does this energetic film change that opinion. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Sep 29, 2026 This Movie is a *4* star Movie! See more Bahad j @RT27093708 Aug 7, 2024 This idea of ​​the filmmaker made the movie more accessible to more people. See more Munkhchimeg T @RT64187897 Aug 2, 2024 Appreciate to the movie team. High quality movie. See more Geke g @RT40239519 Jul 28, 2024 Its very decent sport movie. Worth watching. See more Nov 28, 2014 With retro tunes and presentation in addition to very personal accounts from relevant individuals, 'Once in a Lifetime' succeeds in transporting you back to this period when the 1907-85 New York Cosmos strived to engrave 'soccer' into the American culture. It is interesting to see how aspects of the modern game can be linked to them such as football's current position in the US, the relentless transfer market exploits of clubs such as Real Madrid and the mixed consequences of creating top-heavy leagues. However, despite it undeniably producing spells of entertainment (e.g the signing of Pelé), your overall opinion will eventually come down to the extent to which you're eager to learn about the content. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 Nov 17, 2013 A bunch of men bickering about a failed project. Hyped at the start of the film as something that changed football forever even though it did anything but. I've seen far better documentaries. See more Read all reviews
Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

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Cast & Crew

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Paul Crowder

Director

John Dower

Director

Matt Dillon

Narrator

Mark Monroe

Writer

John Battsek

Producer

Fisher Stevens

Producer

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Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." A scene from the film "Once in a Lifetime." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary looks back on a time when soccer briefly captured America's attention. The film profiles the North American Soccer League franchise the New York Cosmos and the sensation it created back in the 1970s. Using archival footage, old photos and anecdotes from former players and businessmen, it tells the story -- or several conflicting stories -- of a team starring Brazilian soccer legend Pele, formed by non-sports people and ultimately submarined by the league's excessive expansion.
Director
Paul Crowder, John Dower
Producer
John Battsek, Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams
Screenwriter
Mark Monroe
Production Co
Passion Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Some Nudity|Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jul 7, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$144.4K
Runtime
1h 37m
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