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Welcome to Wrexham Series Review: When the news originally got out that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were set to buy a football club, “Why?” was the first thing I said to myself. The more the news came out that it was a small Football club in the small city of Wrexham, Wales, the confusion kept adding on. Now two years later, here we are with Welcome to Wrexham - a docu-series in our hand that tells the inspiring and sacrificial story of this old football club. House of the Dragon Review: Matt Smith’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Series Is An Impressive Return to Westeros! (LatestLY Exclusive).
Welcome to Wrexham follows Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as they buy the Football club Wrexham AFC and try getting it out of the National League to the main FL’s. For how star centered I was expecting this documentary to be, it surprisingly didn’t feature Reynolds and McElhenney that much (at least in the first five episodes that I was sent). It could have easily been a pompous showcase of the Hollywood mega machine exploiting another small city, but no, it's very much focused on Wrexham and the people that inhabit it.
Reynolds and McElhenney definitely play to their strengths. The reasoning behind purchasing the club is almost immediately answered in the first episode. If you have been following It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, then you would definitely know just how passionate Rob is for American Football. Growing up in the city of the Eagles, there is a certain flair for sports in that city that is deeply personal to the population there. Rob saw the same passion for football in Wrexham and wanted to bring that energy to them.
Having just TV money, he of course wouldn’t be able to fund it. So, he turns to his friend Ryan Reynolds, who in recent years has transformed into quite the business mogul, and so begins the partnership of steadying the third oldest profession association football team in the world. Reynolds, who is more camera shy here than I thought he would be, takes a step back as McElhenney lets his inner sports geek come out into the world. The pair works great and as a fan of both these stars, I was heavily invested into their mindset going in. The first two episodes at times do feel like being a very surface level exploration of the what the sport is, but then you’re immediately thrusted into this amazing city.
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With buying a football club, comes the pressure of making sure that the morale is up there. For Wrexham AFC it wasn’t as they had been on quite the downward streak. Football is something that’s deeply personal to the city of Wrexham. When we first see the team, the situation is as bleak as it can get and I feel that’s what Welcome to Wrexham does so well. There is a certain sacrificial theme to each and every person there and they don’t shy away from showing the glory and heartbreak of the game.
The first two episodes begin with seeing how well Wrexham AFC does and whether its stable enough that no changes are to be made, or whether some people need to be let go. The series does a great job at building up tension and just how huge the stakes are. You will feel immediately caught up in all these stories, and Welcome to Wrexham is able to bring that intimacy.
While football is an important part, there is also the city of Wrexham and the people that live there. It helps a bring a more personalised feeling to everything and you feel more connected to this city as the time goes on. Throughout the doc, we follow certain fans who are really passionate about this sport. When a goal is scored against Wrexham AFC and the loud f-bomb drop occurs in a bar, there is a reason behind that frustration.
One man talks about his connection to the sport and how he is just a painter who hates his job. Going through a divorce and filtering it out by having his passion of football burning bigger than ever, you will directly feel involved in their lives. So, when that kick touches the ball and a goal is scored, you will find yourself cheering too, and that’s what Welcome to Wrexham does so damn well. Dragon Ball Super - Super Hero Movie Review: A Mind-Numbing and Exhausting Anime Carried By Some Good Animation (LatestLY Exclusive).
However, if there was one thing I would nitpick about Welcome to Wrexham, then it would be just how short the episodes can feel. There came a feel of that there is definitely gaps that could have been filled in here, but then again, I have just seen a quarter of the series and I can’t wait for the remaining 13 episodes.
Yay!
Great Exploration of Wrexham
Rob McElhenney
Nay!
Episodes Can Feel a Bit Short
Final Thoughts
From the opening credits that begin out with “The Times They Are a Changin” to having a euphoric feeling when the first goal is scored, Welcome to Wrexham is an ace. With heart and passion seeping throughout every corner, this Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney lead documentary is not just a win for football fans, but the city of Wrexham too. Welcome to Wrexham streams soon on Disney+ Hotstar.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2022 09:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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