Given that football is something very different in the states and 'soccer' is a minority sport how will this be received? Is it being released in the States and if so what's the reception? Would most people know who Brian Clough was and the significance of him managing Leeds United?
shareI have no idea when -- or even IF -- this is going to get a US release. Which is a shame, because I think it sounds good and I love the people in it. :\
Since "Bend It Like Beckham" was a hit, I don't think the football/soccer thing would be a problem, as long as the script is entertaining and the characters are well-developed.
Similarly, although Cloughie is not that well-known over here, I doubt it would matter as long as the film does a good-enough job of humanizing him, of getting at what made him such a fascinating figure (his ego, his humor, etc.), and of placing him in a compelling conflict.
Given their work together on "The Deal," "The Queen," and "Frost/Nixon," I have complete faith in star Michael Sheen (who has gotten American audiences to actually care about Tony Blair and David Frost) and screenwriter Peter Morgan (who has taken relatively small and minor real-life episodes, such as the supposed Blair-Brown agreement and Frost's interviews with Richard Nixon, and crafted witty and thought-provoking drama out of them). I think their involvement in TDU ought to be enough to drum up some interest here -- if not for a mass audience, then certainly for critics and some of the more open-minded pockets of the filmgoing public. :)
"I know I'm not normal -- but I'm trying to change!" ~ Muriel's Wedding
It is not being released in Australia where football has been a fast growing sport.
There just will not be the interest. This is as UK Centric a film as you can get.
I agree with the above post. I don´t think the Americans wil identify with this at all. Being English and quite an avid football fan, I didn´t even know that Clough was at Leeds. Most Americans won´t have a clue who Brian Clough is nor will have heard of Leeds (sorry Leeds).
shareNot true - it is being released in Australia. I went to a press screening yesterday. How it will go down, however, is a different story. I didn't get much chance to speak to other reviewers after the screening, but I find it hard to believe any of them would have been as riveted as I was, having grown up in England in the 70s and remembering vividly Clough's colossal reputation. Certainly no one else seemed to be laughing or reacting to the elements that struck such a major chord with me.
But perhaps the strength of the screenplay - the themes of hubris and the love story between Taylor and Clough, as well as the excellent performances may swing it. Glad to see that footage of Clough at the end so those unaware can get a glimpse of just what an amazing job Sheen is doing (yet again).
If it gets a US release, I'd expect it to be very small and probably more sold on Michael Sheen's presence than a story about Brian Clough.
Drop your weapons! You're surrounded by armed bastards!!!!
Sony Pictures Classics will release this movie limited in the US September 25.
shareThe last posting is good news for all film and (real) football fans.
May have to change the title though, as the d-word might offend the religious right and other Texans. Not that they'd go, anyway.
what does Texas have to do with this? that is a very ignorant comment. I live in Texas and have been waiting for this movie to be released here ever since I first heard of it. I do agree that most Americans will not know the significance of the story but it looks to be a well made movie and could appeal to a majority of movie-goers.
share[deleted]
"Sony Pictures Classics will release this movie limited in the US September 25."
WOOHOO!!!
"May have to change the title though, as the d-word might offend the religious right and other Texans. Not that they'd go, anyway."
LOL Yeah, I've wondered about that -- it'll be interesting to see how this gets marketed...
"I know I'm not normal -- but I'm trying to change!" ~ Muriel's Wedding
I think it will play pretty well in independent theaters, because as Plektrum commented above, Michael Sheen has developed a considerable cachet of credibility for himself with Frost/Nixon, The Queen, and so on here in the U.S.
And actually, given the large (and growing) Spanish-speaking population here in Texas where I live, it might actually get a bit of a boost. It's ultimately a soccer film, and most soccer fans (irrespective of their nation of origin) understand that "the beautiful game" comes from Great Britain originally. That might provide a draw. And as someone else pointed out, "Bend It Like Beckham" did qutie well here, even featuring merely a pre-POTC Keira Knightley.
It looks great! I'm anxious to see the 'comparison' footage at the end of the film that one of the other posts refers to. It sounds as if it provides a distinct "full-stop" punctuation to the film.
having just seen the film and being american, i think it will be hard to get people into the theaters and it will be a small release, but the people that go will love it. i didn't know anything about leeds united or brian clough going in but the film does an excellent job of setting the stage and giving the backstory - enough so that i want to research today to find out more about all of the characters.
share"the people that go will love it. i didn't know anything about leeds united or brian clough going in but the film does an excellent job of setting the stage and giving the backstory"
That's all the assurance I need -- that, plus what a few UK critics have said about not having to be a football (soccer) fan to enjoy the film. :) I only hope it gets to play in Omaha (particularly the Dundee Theater) when the time comes...
"I know I'm not normal -- but I'm trying to change!" ~ Muriel's Wedding
Don`t be so sure. Should we underestimate the knowledge of the average American concerning the world`s most popular sport? I say no.
And consider also the fact that there`s quite a lot of English football (soccer to the Americans)fans worldwide who know very well who Leeds United, Don Revie and Brian Clough are.
Sorry but very few americans understand the passion of English football and the story's of times gone by... It's like when the English watch a film about american football teams... yeah we might watch it but only to pass the time, or if we flick onto that channel by accident. Wouldn't EVER go and watch it an american football film in the cinema. And I get to see all the films for free and still wouldn't watch it!
sharethe beauty of football is its fluidity and its simplicity. you only need a ball and 4 t-shirts. its not fundamentally complicated or stop start as a game and this open forum allows a multitude of approaches/strategies/tactics. furthermore it is a gave for everyone not just the tall or the big. the world loves football. not just the british. and although american sports are played elsewhere basketball aside most do not translate. so god bless america, but the world blesses football. this film is a character study about ambition tho and the ideal of a sport vs the pragmatic pursuit of empty victory and that is something universal.
share"...although american sports are played elsewhere basketball aside most do not translate."
I don't know about that--think how passionately American baseball is loved in Japan!
As you know, the fortunes of war vary. But if you desire a good outcome, you must keep your courage intact.share
I'm a football fan from America, far too young to know most of the people in the film, and I loved TDU but this will never get a decent American release. It would be difficult to fully understand the film without an understanding of the english league structure, the different competitions & games (league/fa cup/charity shield/european cup/etc), how players can get away with cheating, how transfers & managerial signings work, etc. You also wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the film without knowing stuff like the relevance of different scores (2-1, 2-0, 5-0, etc) beyond the numerical result, where Leeds are today, how different the game is today, etc. Plus, the film doesn't come off like historical fiction so I think a lot of people would believe it to be fact. Add in the fact that the whole cast is british, it's a relatively low-budget film, there's no sex or action beyond the matches, and that Leeds/Derby don't even make headlines in England anymore, and I can see why distributors in the US would stay away from this film.
shareI saw this last night at a preview screening;
It is getting a platform release starting in NY & LA and moving to 9 other cities the week after;
Hopefully numbers will be good and it should get a wider release (tho it still wont get out of the big cities);
I thought it was terrific btw;
From my point of view, the target group for movies like "The Damned United" are sports fans in general. When I walked in the theater, I felt like I was walking in the stadium for Sunday's football match!
I'm a big sports fan and if there were an American movie about let's say the New York Yankees, given that baseball is a sport widely unknown outside the US, I would totally go for it, even though I would be confused over the terminology, the rules, the history of the team, the structure of the league etc. But then again that's why google and youtube are here for.
"...baseball is a sport widely unknown outside the US..."
It's known and passionately loved in Japan.
As you know, the fortunes of war vary. But if you desire a good outcome, you must keep your courage intact.share
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Does anyone ever care about how an American film will go down in Britain ? Thought not,so why should we care about how it plays in the USA ? The quicker America learns we live in a culturaly diverse World the better.
Gordon P. Clarkson
I agree completely. Too many British moves have threads asking "will it go down well in America?". This movie has been made for a UK audience, I doubt wether its relevence in America was even considered. No doubt a few football fans out there will manage to pick up a DVD or it may even manage a very limited release on the back of Sheen`s success but on the whole nobody will be interested.
shareI can tell you one thing for certain. The American release (cinema/ DVD) will require English subtitles, which is beyond ironic, but it happens!
shareI live in the US and I was born in the US.
I can't wait for this film!!! To me it is less about football and more about a human being trying to overcome obstacles. We love that sort of thing in the U.S. We love to root for the underdog in the U.S.
We embraced Bend It Like Beckham. That film was another story about people trying to overcome with football as the setting.
In general films about sports and with sports as the background are often hit and miss at the box office. But with limited release and good marketing I can see this film doing well in the U.S.