North Dallas Forty

R

Released Aug 3, 1979

2 hr. 0 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

85%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A brutal satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team "family" is bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches. The National Football League refused to help in the production of this movie, suggesting it may have been too near the truth for comfort. From the novel by former NFL player Peter Gent.

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Critics Consensus

Muddled overall, but perceptive and brutally realistic, North Dallas Forty also benefits from strong performances by Nick Nolte and Charles Durning. Football fans will likely find it fascinating.

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S R

A good one for Nolte, showing the issues in the nfl that make it a messed up sport. Could've been toned down to make it more mainstream. Saw on TCM.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Seen this a couple times before, it's worth watching again and this time reviewing. IN FACT, it gets consideration from time to time as my choice for ‘best football movie' but it's less about football and more about relationships. Still, most people do not know anything about the inner workings of a pro football team (including myself) and this seems legit. There's not as many good sports movies, let alone football, as we believe there to be.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a good glimpse inside the politics of Pro Football in the 1970s. For those who are too young to remember or weren't born yet it's an accurate time capsule of the era before drug testing and conduct codes being strictly enforced.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Andrew A

As someone who has followed the NFL closely for over 20 years, I couldn't get into this film. It's not really about football. And it hasn't aged well. Watch Any Given Sunday if you want a good movie about pro football athletes.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/04/20

Full Review

Audience Member

Nick Nolte in a classic under rated football character driven drama. Excellent. Andrew Luck probably watched it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best inspiring sports comedy movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Ted Kotcheff

Director

Nick Nolte

Phillip Elliott

Mac Davis

Seth Maxwell

Charles Durning

Coach Johnson

Dayle Haddon

Charlotte Caulder

Bo Svenson

Jo Bob Priddy

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North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - It's a Sport Not a Business

1:30

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Breakfast of Champions

1:42

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Pre-Game Final Words

2:13

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - A Quarterback Sandwich

1:21

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - You the Best

2:12

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Boy Meets Boy

2:00

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Final Play of the Game

2:11

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Serious Training

1:02

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Ice Bath & Beers

2:08

North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Full-Speed Scrimmage

1:46

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Profanely funny, wised-up and heroically antiheroic, North Dallas Forty is unlikely to please anyone with a vested interest in glorifying the National Football League.

Aug 29, 2016

Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Retains enough of the original novel's authenticity to deliver strong, if brutish, entertainment.

Aug 1, 2008

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The football scenes are brutally real; the locker room scenes are totally authentic.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 21, 2007

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nick Nolte delivers yet another grounded and deeply felt performance in a football flick that’s hard-hitting both on and off the field.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 10, 2024

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…zeroes in with laser focus on the parties, the training, and the personal lives of the protagonists…

Rated: 5/5

Nov 30, 2023

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

A scathing yet comical take on the big business of football.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 9, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

A brutal satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team "family" is bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches. The National Football League refused to help in the production of this movie, suggesting it may have been too near the truth for comfort. From the novel by former NFL player Peter Gent.

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 3, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 2, 2016

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