Review of The Damned United (2009) by Jake . — 15 Mar 2010

Michael Sheen is talented and adorable. I'm not shallow as to rate a film well on those term alone, but still. Just saying... I'm impressed with what a diverse selection of characters he has played.: Lucian in Underworld, Tony Blair in The Queen, Aro in New Moon, The White Rabbit in Alice, David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and now Brian Clough. To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of the coach, but apparently he was someone worth knowing. I'm genereally not that fond of sports movies (or the sports themselves) but this really is incredibly good. Timothy Spall just looks right in the 70s. Who would have ever guessed? Written by Peter Morgan, and very, very similar to his work in The Queen. While is film is very fun and entertaining, it is not something to be remembered forever. It really will not make you think or feel anything at all. I'm actually not totally sure that it had any kind of a point, but maybe that is part of the brilliance. A certain charm and appeal comes with the lack of an obvious message or agenda. At any rate, the film is sweet and charming, very likable all around, and that alone goes a long ways.

I'm also rather fond of the closing: "Brian Clough was the best manager that the Leeds never had." That was a bit of a paraphrase, but the gist is the same.