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

L.A. Weekly by

Though the movie promises a Behind the Music–type look at the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the Cosmos -- a team (if the press notes are to be believed) overwhelmed by wealth, groupies, rivalry and power struggles -- it all adds up to a tempest in a tea pot.

New York Daily News by Jack Mathews

Once in a Lifetime performs a belated autopsy on the Cosmos and the North American Soccer League and basically concludes that they died of impatience.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

It's a stylish scramble of evocative footage, groovy music, and crazy-candid reminiscences from key players still proud to score.

New York Post by Lou Lumenick

Once in a Lifetime, which is being released at the peak of World Cup fever, is the sort of sports documentary that will appeal even to nonfans. It's a quintessential only-in-New York story.

TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh

Crowder and Dower's film is a refreshing reminder that without Ross and the Erteguns, pundits would have had to coin an entirely different term to describe "soccer moms," since without the Cosmos' brief and shining moment in the sun, suburban soccer leagues would be as rare as collegiate boccie tournaments.

The A.V. Club by Scott Tobias

Once In A Lifetime is less a proper documentary than an extended VH1 Behind The Music episode, but there's only a little bit wrong with that.