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

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

The untold story of the team that had America at its feet.

2006 · 1h 37m · PG-13 Documentary
Directed by Paul Crowder , John Dower

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Overview

In the 1970s the North American Soccer League marked the first attempt to introduce soccer to American sports fans. While most teams had only limited success at best, one managed to break through to genuine mainstream popularity - the New York Cosmos. The brainchild of Steve Ross (Major executive at Warner Communications) and the Ertegun brothers (Founders of Atlantic Records), the Cosmos got off to a rocky start in 1971, but things changed in 1975 when the world's most celebrated soccer star, the Brazilian champion Pele, signed with the Cosmos for a five-million-dollar payday. With the arrival of Pele, the Cosmos became a hit and the players became the toast of the town, earning their own private table at Studio 54. A number of other international soccer stars were soon lured to the Cosmos, including Franz Beckenbauer, Rodney Marsh, and Carlos Alberto, but with the turn of the decade, the team began losing favor with fans and folded in 1985.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
82%
Tomatometer
Rotten

... treats its audience like a bunch of attention deficit disorder cases.

Peter Debruge, Miami Herald
Fresh

... accomplishes the minor miracle of making you mourn a sports team you likely never knew existed in the first place.

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fresh

Once in a Lifetime, which relies on interviews and archival footage, may not be a great documentary, but it certainly gets its points across.

Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Fresh

Once in a Lifetime would have benefited greatly from historical and outside perspective, but the story on screen is such a kick that even monotone narrator Matt Dillon gets caught up in the excitement.

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Fresh

A cavalcade of theatrical personalities, juicy war stories, unforgiven grievances and old-school cinema dazzle.

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

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