Football Partnerships

By Nathaniel E. Baker

Tom Hopper’s The Damned United is a fun British sports drama based on David Pearce’s novel of the same name. Starring Michael Sheen as Brian Clough, the film opens in select U.S. theaters today (it already ran in the U.K. and Ireland). It tells the story of Clough’s tumultuous 44 days in charge of Leeds United in 1974.

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By LESLIE FELPERIN

Telling with a light, surefooted touch a legendary tale from British soccer history, “The Damned United” reps the latest collaboration in factual fiction between chameleon thesp Michael Sheen, screenwriter Peter Morgan and producer Andy Harries (”Frost/Nixon,” “The Queen”). This time, the subject isn’t politics but “the beautiful game,” with a bromance twist as the pic recounts the career highlights of ’70s-era team manager Brian Clough. Stylish feature debut by Tom Hooper should do well in Blighty, especially among males and upscale auds, but faces a harder B.O. fight in territories where Clough’s not known and Sheen’s not a draw.

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