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First Match
Directed by
Olivia Newman
TV-MA
2018
1h 34m
Drama
,
Sport
6.4
85%
80%
6.4
Add to Watchlist
Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood decides that joining the boys' wrestling team is the only way back to her estranged father.
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Where to Watch First Match
Netflix
Subscription
Netflix Standard with Ads
Subscription
Cast of First Match
Elvire Emanuelle
Monique
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Darrel
Colman Domingo
Coach Castile
Jharrel Jerome
Omari
Jared Kemp
Malik
Jeanette Branch
Nadege
Jimmy Gary Jr.
Hassan
Kim Ramirez
Lucila
Kamika Desrosiers
Nyasa
Antonio Ortiz
Jorge
Travis Raeburn
Jamal
Tyson Sheppard
Tyson
Allen Maldonado
Juan
Leronne Kornegay
Cute guy
Thaddeus Daniels
Restaurant Owner
Eisa Davis
Bianca
Jae Ponder
Natalie
Terrence Thomas
Principal DeMarco
Roger French
Shelter Patron
Kandé Amadou
Omari's Mom
First Match Ratings & Reviews
CineWomen
Annlee Ellingson
First Match is a confident, sensitive debut in a gritty, real milieu that's worth seeking out.
Ms En Scene
Megan Purdy
First Match is an emotionally complex coming-of-age story.
New York Times
Glenn Kenny
Ms. Emanuelle's performance as Mo is certainly spectacular, but I don't think I've seen better screen acting in 2018 than Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's work as Darrel.
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Rob Thomas
Elvyre Emanuelle has a breakout performance as Monique.
Common Sense Media
Renee Schonfeld
Compelling teen drama has violence and language.
Decider
Joe Reid
As a platform for a pair of incredibly exciting new talents, one behind the camera and one in front of it, First Match is a winner.
The Hollywood Reporter
John DeFore
Given a handful of fine performances, it's pretty easy to overlook the familiarity of the sports-drama beats to come.
Deadline Hollywood Daily
Pete Hammond
[Yahya] Abdul-Mateen ll is excellent in the role of this self-serving, ill-equipped parent, but this movie belongs to [Elvire] Emanuelle, who is clearly a star in the making.
Refinery29
Sesali Bowen
The movie's take on Black girl magic doesn't sparkle with glitter, but it honors our experiences nonetheless, daring you not to look away, even when you want to.
Paste Magazine
Andy Crump
Newman has pretty serious filmmaking chops: She shoots action cleanly, coherently, with an eye for the poetry of a well-executed suplex and the brutality of a back alley brawl.
Los Angeles Times
Kimber Myers
[Newman] tells an unvarnished story that grapples with the complexity of father-daughter relationships and the desperation of feeling like you have no choices.
RogerEbert.com
Jessica Ritchey
A tough film with a tender streak for its protagonist and her struggles.
TheWrap
Inkoo Kang
Newman doesn't give the film much room to breathe, or to develop Monique as a person beyond her dysfunctions and the solutions thereof. The film's connect-the-dots approach to storytelling leaves it gasping for slice-of-life details.
IGN Movies
Kenneth Seward Jr.
The depth of the well-written narrative, the superb acting, and the deliberate cinematography catapults it to the top of its respected genre on Netflix.
Slant Magazine
Wes Greene
The film traffics in the same tired and sentimental clichs that hamper so many sports dramas.
The Playlist
Lena Wilson
"First Match" is a culturally significant, capably-crafted film, but it leans on safe familiarities when it should seek risky rewards.
The Daily Dot
Audra Schroeder
First Match escapes the genre and leaves an impression that's often rare for a debut film.
Variety
Amy Nicholson
Every punch hurts, and Newman doesn't skimp on the bruises and blood.
Black Girl Nerds
Jamie Broadnax
This narrative in First Match feels real, authentic and organic.
IndieWire
David Ehrlich
First Match is such a powerful coming-of-age story because Monique makes us feel like she's the first person to ever set foot there.
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