[2] Anna Montgomery (d'Abo), a teacher from Surrey, England, finds herself in the fictional town of Elma, Texas in the United States as part of an exchange program.

With Juan on board, the team, now dubbed the Big Green, embarks on an extraordinary winning streak, culminating in an opportunity to face the Knights once again in the championship.

Meanwhile, the team's success brings unexpected conflict when Jay Huffer (Sanders), a former Elma resident and current Knights coach, learns of Juan's mother's undocumented status.

As the championship day arrives, the Big Green faces the daunting task of competing without Juan, their star player, whose absence weighs heavily on the team.

As part of a bet, Huffer, the Knights' coach and antagonist, begrudgingly honors his promise to kiss the Big Green's goat mascot, Ernie.

Stephen Holden gave it a favorable review in The New York Times: "Most of the movie's charm lies in its portrayal of the children as an adorable, if exasperating, multicultural version of Our Gang.

THE BIG GREEN is a feel good movie and it is encouraging to see such a quality film make its appearance in lieu of the usual degenerate fare so prevalent today.

"[5] In a generally favorable review, John Anderson in the Los Angeles Times described the film as a "puckless Mighty Ducks" and described the young characters as an "endearing group".