Title: The Damned United (2009)Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney
Directed By: Tom Hooper
Having little to no emotional attachment to the game of soccer makes it a little hard to care about the characters in this biopic. With that said, the writer (Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon) and director (Tom Hooper, John Adams) wisely focus on the emotional journey of coach Brian Clough while the games are taking place, instead of a reenacted play by play. This is, after all, the story of Clough and not the story of The Winchester United club. In fact, when applicable, the scores are presented in title form and used brilliantly as an exclamation point on the emotions of the current scene.
I found myself becoming incredibly involved with this man's story, but in fact it's kind of hard to understand where he's coming from. He's not painted as a hero or a villain here, but more so as a broken man trying to make his dream job work. That I can relate to, but the how, the why, and the when are all a little befuddling. You obviously have to take advantage of the opportunities presented to you, but still it all felt a little rushed in the film. Maybe in real life it was different and it just had to be truncated for story or length purposes. I don't know.
What I do know is this. The film works. It works because it's presented in a way that never feels slow or boring. It works because the actors involved are all on the top of their games, especially Michael Sheen who OWNS the screen every time he's on it. Mostly though, it works because it tells an interesting story without dumbing it down or sapping it up. This isn't a Disney sports biopic, playing every single angle possible for emotion. Instead this is a fun, entertaining movie that works all the better for playing it straight. The laughs are earned and the emotional journey of our characters feels real. I really liked it. Recommended.
Score: 7.5/10
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