Taika Waititi’s quirky sense of humor isn’t for everyone. The New Zealand filmmaker repeatedly punched the podium microphone during his introduction of “Next Goal Wins” at its Toronto International Film Festival world premiere at the Princess of Wales Theatre on Sunday while TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey stood by gamely smiling at the antics of his guest. Waititi, after all, had won the 2019 TIFF audience award for his last film, “Jojo Rabbit,” which had premiered in the same room and had raised eyebrows with its Nazi satire.
That said, “Next Goal Wins” is his best and most crowd-pleasing effort to date.