RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / The Damned United
The Damned United

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Showtimes & Tickets
  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Damned United (2009)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
94 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:111

Fresh:104

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: Better than your average football pic, Damned United is carried by another star turn from Michael Sheen as Brian Clough.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Oct 9, 2009 Limited

Box Office: $315,306

Synopsis: After tackling Tony Blair and David Frost, actor Michael Sheen turns to another driven historical figure: football manager Brian Clough. Talented but abrasive, Clough alienates some of those around... After tackling Tony Blair and David Frost, actor Michael Sheen turns to another driven historical figure: football manager Brian Clough. Talented but abrasive, Clough alienates some of those around him, including his rival, Don Revie. When Clough has the chance to coach Leeds, Revie’s former team, he takes on the role of the manager of the country’s best soccer team. Also starring Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, and Colm Meaney, this film marks the fourth time screenwriter Peter Morgan (THE QUEEN, FROST/NIXON) has crafted a character for Sheen. [More]

Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Jim Broadbent

Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Jim Broadbent

Director: Tom Hooper

Director: Tom Hooper
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan
Producer: Andy Harries
Composer: Rob Lane
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    Clip #3
    >
    Clip #5
    >
    Clip #4
    >
  • Clip #2
    >
    Clip #1
    >
1 - 4 of 6

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "SAVE" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Damned United

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Finds its riveting story in the locker-room and board-room wranglings of competitive team leaders, and dissects them with documentary-style precision.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Weekly | comment Comment
12/23/09
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Charlotte Weekly

Refusing to devolve into a routine sports flick (see Invictus), The Damned United is instead more interested in the off-field clashes than the on-field skirmishes.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
12/19/09
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Offering just enough football to satisfy the fans in the stands, The Damned United is also a pleasingly high-quality British drama with some terrific performances.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
12/15/09
Fionnuala Halligan
Fionnuala Halligan
Screen International

That Clough is still remembered enough to have a film made about him is no surprise. But that he is remembered fondly suggests memory is a dish best served cold.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
12/10/09
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

THE DAMNED UNITED is an intriguing study in human ego, and its ability to interfere with sound management.

Full Review Source: Cinemalogue.com | comment Comment
12/06/09
Rubin Safaya
Rubin Safaya
Cinemalogue.com

Sheen gives a magnificent performance. His Clough is a character you can neither like nor admire. You watch this walking train wreck in amazement as he continually steps on his own feet with his overactive mouth.

Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | comment Comment
12/01/09
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

...the real story isn't about football, but about the competing agendas of two strong-willed individuals: one apparently playing the supporting role to the other's lead...

Full Review Source: Playback:stl | comment Comment
12/01/09
Sarah Boslaugh
Sarah Boslaugh
Playback:stl

egoless acting, tight editing, and intelligent dialogue

Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
11/27/09
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews

...nothing like a conventional sports bio-pic; it's a character study of a difficult personality, a charming, enigmatic victim of self-sabotage.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
11/27/09
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Two things that the British know that most Americans don't: Michael Sheen is the best actor in the English-speaking world; and soccer is the only football that matters.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
11/24/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Michael Sheen is pitch perfect again in this tale of a man and his ego

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
11/17/09
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

'The Damned United' is a soccer movie that's really about a man's struggle with his most dangerous opponent--his own ego.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
11/14/09
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com

The Damn United has a far better chance of turning American blokes onto soccer, errr, football than David Beckham's frosted tips.

Full Review Source: Richmond.com | comment Comment
11/14/09
Mike Ward
Mike Ward
Richmond.com

As a film inspired by British football, this may hold limited appeal for American moviegoers. But it's also a film about a form of spurned love, which means it's a story about love and hate, which means it's a movie that everybody can relate to.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
11/13/09
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

It’s too easy to dismiss Sheen’s work as basic mimicry; in fact, Sheen’s Clough is his most intricate work thus far.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
11/12/09
Justin Strout
Justin Strout
Orlando Weekly

The Damned United is a most entertaining study in obsession wrapped in a traditional sports movie.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
11/11/09
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Tou don't need to know your Arsenal from your Hull to appreciate the one fact of life that Clough learns too late: Pride comes before a fall, and the pitch provides no safe haven from the excesses of the self.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
11/06/09
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

The Damned United beautifully demonstrates that, if you pair a truly gifted screenwriter with terrific actors, cinematic magic is possible, perhaps even likely.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
11/04/09
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

The Damned United is a thoughtful and entertaining study on the perils of ambition that has little to do with soccer and a lot to do with being human. Well-played.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
10/30/09
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sheen’s Clough is as good as his Tony Blair and his David Frost -- which is to say he is absolutely remarkable.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
10/30/09
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Damned United

October 08, 2009: Critics Consensus: Retreat From Couples Retreat
This week at the movies brings only one wide release: Couples Retreat, starring Vince Vaughn and Kristen Bell in a comedy about a group of friends in marriage counseling in a... More...

August 11, 2009: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

March 27, 2009: The Damned United - A Photo Primer
Today sees the release of The Damned United, which sees Michael Sheen play legendary football manager Brian Clough. Back in 1970s, before the Premiership, Sky TV and WAGS came... More...

See All

More Movies

Close
Coming Soon
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

More…

90% 90% The White Ribbon 12/30
100% 100% Daybreakers 1/8
— Leap Year 1/8
83% 83% Youth in Revolt 1/8
— The Book of Eli 1/15
See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Best of the Decade

Best of the Decade

Find out what movies made our list!

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Watch the brand new trailer now!

Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans

Prepare to Clash with Titans in this trailer!

Total Recall

Total Recall

RT looks back on Jude Law's best movies!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Danny Trejo Talks Machete, Possible Sequels Source: Collider.com
14
  • It's Official: Jackass 3-D Coming in 2010 Source: Collider.com
16
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: Avatar Is Certified Fresh
312
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Soars to #1 Spot
261
  • Brittany Murphy: 1977-2009
115
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
59
  • Weekly Ketchup: Bryan Singer Teaches X-Men: First Class
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
43
  • Total Recall: Jude Law's Best Movies
37
  • RT's Best of the Decade!
33
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: District 9 and (500) Days of Summer
31
  • Friday Harvest: Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, and more!
14
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
59
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Damned United at Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Damned United at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade
Best Dozen of the Decade External Link

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Top 50 of 2009
Top 50 of 2009 External Link

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Santa's Naughty List
Santa's Naughty List External Link

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.