North Dallas Forty

1979's NORTH DALLAS FORTY tries to play it both humorously and seriously and mostly succeeds, though had it just dumped or shortened some of the sillier moments I might've called this a mini classic.  Either way, it is certainly one of the best movies about (or at least set in the world of) football I've seen.  Former Dallas Cowboy Peter Gent fictionalized his experiences on and off the field in a best selling 1973 novel that exposed the brutality of the game and its effects on the players.  And how they are mere pawns for the team owners.

Phil Elliott (Nick Nolte) is a wide receiver for the fictional Dallas Bulls.  We first see him in bed, his pillow colored with the blood dripping from his mouth.  He pops pills as soon as he arises.  The painkillers and booze get him through a typical day.   Even when he's not partying with quarterback Seth Maxwell (Mac Davis) and his teammates, many of whom are Neanderthals, like Joe Bob Priddy (Bo Svenson) who treats women like meat.  In truth, Phil is tired of the decadent lifestyle, and eyeing retirement on a horse farm, especially after he meets Charlotte (Dayle Haddon), an heiress who doesn't give two shits about football.

Phil is talented, but also rebellious.  A maverick of sorts.  Head coach Struther (G.D. Spradlin) calls him out on it repeatedly.  Speeches about how bad attitudes have no place on his team.  How critical teamwork is.  Struther is coldly businesslike, concerned with stats, not injuries or the tolls taken on the players.  Phil, who does care about his teammates, plays along for awhile.  But he will have to bite back and perhaps burn (hell, dynamite) some bridges when his very character is attacked during a memorable climax.

Director Ted Kotcheff ably directs the movie, forcefully yet gracefully putting across the macho posturing of the world of professional football.  Gent adapted his novel and while apparently some significant changes were made (and producer Frank Yablans wrestled with him over the script), the humanity remains.  This isn't a gridiron ANIMAL HOUSE, though here and there the movie might play that way.  More attention is given to the suffering, physical and existential. This movie is at its best when being deadly serious.  Leavening the picture with occasional humor would've been most effective.  I also could've done without one of the cliches of sports movies - the born again Christian teammate who is played mainly for laughs. 

The actors are excellent.  Nolte is perfect and believable.  Spradlin plays one of his patented hardasses, but watch his expressions during said finale.  Charles Durning, as an assistant coach, only has a few scenes but absolutely kills 'em.  Gent gives the characters some memorable speeches.  I was quite surprised and impressed by an impassioned locker room tirade by real life NFL defensive end John Matuszak, who plays one of the Bulls.  Even Mac is good. 

Shame about Miss Haddon.  Though admittedly she had very little to work with.