North Dallas Forty

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North Dallas Forty

R

1979

2h 0m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

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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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Aug 29, 2016

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.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Aug 1, 2008

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

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Mar 21, 2007

3.5/4

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

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Photoplay Staff

Photoplay

Sep 22, 2024

Nick Nolte emerges triumphant as Hollywood's most likely successor to Burt Reynolds's crown of macho comedy king. Mac Davis, the country singer, is more than all right, too.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Apr 10, 2024

3/4

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

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Nov 30, 2023

5/5

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

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Dave V

@liveevil Oct 2, 2026

This was made during a time when football was played by lunatics and madmen where they lived through extreme pain made better by the use of drugs for better or worse. Nick Nolte and Mac Davis star as two players on the North Dallas Bulls who play hard and party even harder. One of the first movies to shine a harsh light on the game and the sacrifices their bodies take.

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Carlos D

@RT94095630 Nov 5, 2025

This is possibly the funniest movie I have ever seen, and yet it is not, at heart, a comedy, It is a movie about NFL football. More to the point, it is a movie about the business of football, with all its warts and imperfections. Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and GD Spradlin turn in Oscar-level performances and the supporting cast is absolutely superb. This film has a solid storyline, plot, and theme, and captures the viewer's interest from the onset. This is one of the best movies about business out there, with memorable one-liners such as "seeing through the game is not the same thing as winning the game." This is a great movie.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Nov 3, 2025

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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CodyZamboni Z

@CodyZamboni Nov 29, 2024

Movie is a mostly on point satire of pro football, Well peformed, with some insight of the battle between players and owners. But the low budget shows, especially during the big game, where it's obvious that there are no fans in the stands.

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Kevin R

@RT65285084 Sep 2, 2024

Other than Rocky, NDF is the best sports movie ever made - and definitely the best football movie ever made.

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Munkhchimeg T

@RT64187897 Aug 5, 2024

Amazing. One of the best movie about the sport. Sooo energized and motivated.

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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

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

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North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Breakfast of Champions

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

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North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - You the Best

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North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Boy Meets Boy

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

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North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Serious Training

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North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Ice Bath & Beers

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North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Full-Speed Scrimmage

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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
Producer: Frank Yablans
Screenwriter: Frank Yablans, Ted Kotcheff, Peter Gent
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
Runtime: 2h 0m

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