There’s lots of lowbrow humor, some delightfully observed moments, and a little gentle satire. The jokes can be a little corny at times, but the general good nature of the film solicits our tolerance. In celebration of Brazil’s victory, the loggers are even willing to associate with the Amazonian tribesmen. “The 2006 World Cup will be in Germany,” the logger tells Zama. “I’m going, even if I have to rip up the whole jungle, because I’m not missing it.” Zama says he wants to go too.
That’s as far as director Gerardo Olivares takes his social commentary, allowing The Great Match to remain fundamentally a delightful bit of fluff, that ponders, in a light and almost off-hand fashion, the many strange things that happen when different parts of our human world come into contact with one another.



