North Dallas Forty
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The film's setting is a 1970s era professional football team based in Dallas, Texas which closely resembles the Dallas Cowboys. Nolte plays the aging wide receiver, Phillip Elliott, who is struggling to stay competitive and to this end relies heavily on the use of painkillers. Backed up by his cohort and team quarterback Seth Maxwell, played by Davis, both players give insight into the drug, sex, and alcohol fueled party atmosphere of teams of this era, all under the watchful eye of iconic coach B. A. Strothers, played by Spradlin.
Through an effective use of drama, comedy, and satire, many consider North Dallas Forty a classic sports film, giving unique insights into the lives of professional athletes.
Based on the semi-autobiographical novel written by Peter Gent, a former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver in the late 1960s, the film's characters closely resemble real-life team members of the era, with Seth Maxwell often compared to quarterback Don Meredith, Strothers to Tom Landry, and Elliott to Peter Gent himself.
