Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood)Matt Buckner is a northamerican journalism student at Harvard, who is kicked out, falsely accused of drug possession, taking the blame for his roommate, the wealthy Jeremy Van Holden. Matt is a talented and kind young man, but lacks self-esteem and he doesn't know how to stand up for himself against injustices. After he is expelled, he travels to London, England, to visit his elder sister Shannon, who is married with a british, Steve Dunham, and is a mother of a little boy, Ben Dunham. In London, Matt met Steve's younger brother, Pete Dunham, a tough hooligan , leader of the GSE (Green Street Elite) football firm, who supports West Ham United Football Club. At first, Matt is not well accepted by Pete and his mates, but they both soon become friends, as Pete open his world to this Yank and Matt experiences a new life, learning from Pete the value of friendship, loyalty and the courage to stand for himself to fight for his rights.