HAVING declared himself “done” with supes for the time being - aren’t we all? - Taika Waititi returns this week to the realm of quirky Southern Hemisphere numbers. The film is Next Goal Wins. The budget is 5.6 percent of the total spent on Thor: Love and Thunder.

Based on the 2014 documentary, from directors Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, Next Goal Wins tells the true story of how a Dutch-American football coach attempted to transform one of the world’s worst clubs into FIFA 2014 qualifiers. A quick Google will tell you the outcome but it’s the journey that counts.

Michael Fassbender plays Thomas Rongen, the coach in question. Rongen had already failed to get the United States’ under 20 team into the FIFA U-20 World Cup twice when he set his sights on American Samoa and the adult game. This at a time when American Samoa sat outside the top 200 teams in the world.

American Samoa had managed just one win in their three decade history by the time Rongen took over coaching duties - against the Cook Islands. They were better known for being on the wrong side of the world record for biggest ever defeat in an international football. A 31-0 defeat against Australia will do that.

Next Goal Wins follows the likes of Cool Runnings and Eddie the Eagle in its underdog approach, ploughing a heartfelt furrow along the way. It’s not so earnest as Hunt for the Wilderpeople was and falls into the trap of a focus on Fassbender’s outsider, at the expense of his Polynesian players.

Oscar Kightley, David Fane and Elizabeth Moss also feature, while Kaimana plays Jaiyah Saelua, who would go on to become the first openly transgender player to complete in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Oops…spoilers.

Also this week, Anyone But You sees Will Gluck fly Shakespeare to sunny Australia, with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell in the lead.

It’s an admittedly loose take on Much Ado About Nothing, this, but zips along nicely enough. Sweeney and Powell play Bea and Ben, whose initial fizz flattens spectacularly the morning after a perfect first date.

Six months later, an unexpected reunion arises at the wedding of Bea’s sister and a friend of Ben. Can frost thaw? The title suggests not but one suspects the lady and gent doth protest too much.