North Dallas Forty (1979)

So much average

Fresh and Exciting

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Phil Elliott (Nick Nolte) is a worn out wide receiver for the North Dallas Bulls professional football team in the 70s. It's crazy parties, drugs, sex, and alcohol. Seth Maxwell (Mac Davis) is the popular quarterback. Jo Bob Priddy (Bo Svenson) is a dumb wild lineman. Phil meets Charlotte Caulder (Dayle Haddon) at a party but she's not happy to be there. He rescues her from Jo Bob with a lot of help from Seth. Coach Strother thinks Phil isn't serious enough. Team executive Emmett Hunter (Dabney Coleman) is dating Joanne Rodney but Phil is actually sleeping with her. Johnson (Charles Durning) is the assistant coach. Phil is constantly threatened with the CFL. His body is all worn out and the trainer gives him 'B12' shots. Somebody mysterious is after him.Based on the novel by Cowboys wide receiver Peter Gent, this has the feel of authenticity. It's not quite a spoof with few outright laughs. Nick Nolte is terrific as the weary player. The story is a bit scattered. It could be even darker and more intense.

This is one of those films people rarely talk about, so a lot of people, especially those under 40, have never heard about. Unless I am wrong, this is the 1st film that introduces the darker side of pro football and NDF does it extremely well on both as commentary and as a film. If you ever thought sports were "just a game" then this film will flip that viewpoint on its end. The casting is odd yet superb. Mac Davis ( yes, the Country Music crooner and ace songwriter) as the sagacious jaded insider QB could not have been better played. He and Nick Nolte's presence is dominating and multi-dimensional. Dayle Haddon is the ultimate love-interest for Elliot. You get it from all angles in this film: from the team's owner, the doctors, the players, the coaches, the social cling-on's, and the uninformed bystanders. Truly a well balanced piece of film making, that to this day, still will casts some negativity in the minds of the football fan. Great lines in this film:[ Elliot to Maxwell] " You know everything, don't you?" [ Maxwell] " That I do poot.... that I do"// [ Shaddock to Coach Johnson] " Every time we call it a game, you call it a business, and every time we call it a business you call it a game!!"// [ Elliot to Coach Strothers] " You are right about one thing, B.A., it IS time to put away childish things." Please read other quotes listed here. Films that are cutting-edge as this one, also tend to be time-sensitive, and NDF is no exception as some things will undoubtedly seem old-hat to most viewers, but there is still plenty of meat left on the bone to make seeing this a priority. Don't pre-judge it as just a sports film, its much more, deeply moving, just in a very different way than say Rudy, Hoosiers, Field of Dreams, or Pride of the Yankees. Don't miss the opportunity to see this one.

This movie ranks up with Hoosiers, Remember The Titans, Eight Men Out, and other outstanding sports' movies. However, this movie may be one of the most accurate and realistic. Nick Nolte is excellent as an aging receiver with gifted hands. Nolte has taken a beating in his profession. Pain killers is not even an option to avoid. The intense pressure and training is portrayed in a very gritty way. The brutality and luck involved in surviving intact is portrayed no better in any other movie. And yet, I would say that this movie was from the football lover's perspective. The movie used some real pro footballers. No matter how bad things got, no one wanted to quit on the team. The footballer lived for the thrill of the game. Lastly, the money side/management side has never been portrayed better in a sport's movie. Dabney Coleman plays the soul-less main investor in the team. No matter how much Nolte's character gave, the business side was going to get him in the end. There was enormous tension between the coaches and the players. The coaches demanded perfection. The players thrived on the spirit of the game, not being treated like robots. The players feared the coaches, but also despised them. I was surprised how good Mac Davis was. He is a singer, but seemed to get how to play a quarterback on a pro team with great believability.

The opening is perfect, with Nick Nolte's football pro waking up with a bloody nose and feeling every hit from the night before as he tries to navigate the kitchen. The ending is awful, with Duddy Kravitz (and, er, First Blood) director Kotcheff channeling Stanley Kramer in a big speechifying boardroom rigamarole. In between is a pretty fair expose of the business of American sports, with the players ENCOURAGED to remain stupid childish louts so they'll be easier to manage. Unfortunately this movie really wants it both ways on the gender thing - the Smart Girl who rescues Nolte from the daily grind is just a device to facilitate domestic bliss, nothing new there. And condemnations of misogynist violence are married to gratuitous boob shots. Not at all as bad as that makes it sound, but when I recall this movie I remember the lapses, not the many nice touches in between.