Finding Jack Charlton

Last updated
Finding Jack Charlton
Finding jack charlton.jpg
Film poster
Directed by
Produced by
  • Torquil Jones
  • John McKenna
Starring Jack Charlton
Production
companies
Release date
  • November 6, 2020 (2020-11-06)
Running time
97 minutes [1]

Finding Jack Charlton is a 2020 English documentary film about the life of Jack Charlton.

Contents

The film, directed by Gabriel Clarke and Pete Thomas, was released digitally on 23 November 2020 after a theatrical release on 6 November 2020. [2] [3] The film was set to air on BBC Two in 2021. [4]

Synopsis

Finding Jack Charlton covers the managing career of Charlton. He took over the leadership of the Republic of Ireland national football team in 1986 and became one of the most beloved people in the country. [5] Although the film directors initially planned to make the film about Charlton's importance in Ireland, they realized after visiting Charlton that his dementia was too advanced to be able to speak to him about his past. [6] The filmmakers shifted their focus to include Charlton's last years and the impact of dementia on him and his family. [6] [7]

Other Irish footballers and cultural icons, including Larry Mullen Jr., Roddy Doyle, and Paul McGrath, are interviewed in the documentary. [7] [8] [9]

Critical reception

Finding Jack Charlton received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 100% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews with an average of 8.5/10. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Charlton</span> English footballer and manager (1937–2023)

Sir Robert Charlton was an English professional footballer who played as an attacking-midfielder, left-winger or centre-forward. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the year he also won the Ballon d'Or. He finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 1967 and 1968. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts, passing abilities from midfield, ferocious long-range shooting from both left and right foot, fitness, and stamina. He was cautioned only twice in his career; once against Argentina in the 1966 World Cup, and once in a league match against Chelsea. With success at club and international level, he was one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup and the Ballon d'Or. His elder brother Jack, who was also in the World Cup–winning team, was a former defender for Leeds United and also for ten years was the manager of the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judi Dench</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Judith Olivia Dench is a British actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career that spanned seven decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards, and seven Olivier Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Ritchie</span> English filmmaker (born 1968)

Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films and the Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Bana</span> Australian actor (born 1968)

Eric Martin Andrew Banadinović,, known professionally as Eric Bana, is an Australian actor. He began his career in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining notice in the comedy drama The Castle (1997). He achieved further critical recognition for starring in the biographical crime film Chopper (2000), and as the titular character in Hulk (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobby Stiles</span> English footballer and manager (1942–2020)

Norbert Peter Stiles was an English footballer and manager. He played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign. In the semi-final of that tournament against Portugal, he was given the job of marking the prolific Eusébio. His tough performance resulted in Eusébio being practically nullified for the entire game. Stiles also played in the final, which England won 4–2 against West Germany. His post-match dance on the Wembley pitch, holding the World Cup trophy in one hand and his false teeth in the other, was widely broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon McQueen</span> Scottish footballer (1952–2023)

Gordon McQueen was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a centre-back for St Mirren, Leeds United and Manchester United, in addition to the Scotland national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Kermode</span> English film critic (born 1963)

Mark Kermode is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter, author and podcaster. He is the co-presenter, with Ellen E. Jones, of the BBC Radio 4 programme Screenshot and co-presenter of the film-review podcast Kermode & Mayo's Take, alongside long-time collaborator Simon Mayo. Kermode is a regular contributor to The Observer, for which he was chief film critic between September 2013 and September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Hollander</span> British actor (born 1967)

Thomas Anthony Hollander is a British actor. Hollander trained with National Youth Theatre and won the Ian Charleson Award in 1992 for his performance as Witwoud in The Way of the World. He made his Broadway debut in the David Hare play The Judas Kiss in 1998. His performance as Henry Carr in a revival of the Tom Stoppard play Travesties earned nominations for both the Olivier Award and Tony Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack O'Connell (actor)</span> English/Irish actor

Jack O'Connell is an English actor. He first gained recognition for playing James Cook in the British television series Skins. He is also known for his roles in This Is England (2006), the slasher film Eden Lake (2009), the television dramas Dive (2010) and United (2011), and the Netflix wild west miniseries Godless (2017), for which he received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination.

<i>Fifty Dead Men Walking</i> 2008 British film

Fifty Dead Men Walking is a 2008 English-language crime thriller film written and directed by Kari Skogland. It is a loose adaptation of Martin McGartland's 1997 autobiography of the same name. It premiered in September 2008, and stars Jim Sturgess as McGartland, a British agent who went undercover into the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), and Ben Kingsley as Fergus, his British handler.

<i>Luther</i> (TV series) British crime drama television series

Luther is a British psychological crime thriller television series starring Idris Elba as DCI John Luther and Ruth Wilson as Alice Morgan, written by Neil Cross. The detective Luther must make cases against criminals while the murderer Morgan has a complicated relationship with him. The first series is composed of six episodes which ran in May and June 2010. A second series of four episodes aired on BBC One in June and July 2011, and a third was commissioned in 2012 composed of four episodes which aired in July 2013. A two-episode fourth series was broadcast in December 2015, and a fifth series of four episodes premiered on 1 January 2019. BBC Studios handled distribution for the TV series.

<i>Next Goal Wins</i> (2014 film) 2014 British documentary film

Next Goal Wins is a 2014 British documentary film directed by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. The film chronicles the national football team of American Samoa as they try to recover from the indignity of being known as one of the weakest football teams in the world, and to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

<i>The Young Offenders</i> (film) 2016 film by Peter Foott

The Young Offenders is a 2016 Irish comedy film written, directed, and co-produced by Peter Foott. It stars Alex Murphy, Chris Walley, Dominic MacHale, Hilary Rose, Shane Casey, Pascal Scott, and P. J. Gallagher.

<i>Dracula</i> (2020 TV series) 2020 British horror television series

Dracula is a horror drama television serial developed by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, based on the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker. The series, consisting of three episodes, premiered on 1 January 2020 and was broadcast over three consecutive days on BBC One before releasing on Netflix. Claes Bang stars as the title character.

<i>The North Water</i> (TV series) British TV series

The North Water is a 2021 five-part television miniseries based on Ian McGuire's 2016 novel of the same name written and directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Colin Farrell and Jack O'Connell. An international co-production between British public broadcaster BBC, and Canadian English-language public broadcaster CBC Television, in association with Canadian premium television channel Super Channel and CBC Television's French-language counterpart ICI Radio-Canada Télé, the series first premiered in the United States on AMC+ on 15 July 2021 before premiering in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 10 September 2021 and in Canada on Super Channel Fuse a week later on 19 September, followed by a nationwide broadcast in the country on CBC Television in English and ICI Radio-Canada Télé in French, with video on demand availability on the CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV services in both respective languages.

<i>Diego Maradona</i> (film) 2019 British documentary film by Asif Kapadia

Diego Maradona is a 2019 British documentary film directed by Asif Kapadia about Argentine legend Diego Maradona with never before seen archival footage. It was screened out of competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>The Father</i> (2020 film) Film directed by Florian Zeller

The Father is a 2020 psychological drama film, directed by Florian Zeller in his directorial debut. He co-wrote the screenplay with fellow playwright Christopher Hampton on the basis of Zeller's 2012 play Le Père. A French–British co-production, the film stars Anthony Hopkins as an octogenarian Welsh man living with dementia. Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, and Olivia Williams also star.

<i>Dick Johnson Is Dead</i> 2020 documentary film by Kirsten Johnson

Dick Johnson Is Dead is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Kirsten Johnson and co-written by Johnson and Nels Bangerter. The story focuses on Johnson's father Richard, who suffers from dementia, portraying different ways—some of them violent "accidents"—in which he could ultimately die. In each scenario, the elderly Johnson plays along with his daughter's black humor and imaginative fantasies. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Innovation in Non-fiction Storytelling. It was released on Netflix on October 2, 2020.

<i>Small Axe</i> (anthology) 2020 British anthology film series by Steve McQueen

Small Axe is a British anthology film series, created and directed by Steve McQueen. The anthology consists of five films that tell distinct stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s. Two episodes of the series were selected into the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The series premiered on 15 November 2020 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 20 November 2020 on Amazon Prime Video in the United States. The title references a proverb – "Small axe fall big tree" or "If you are the big tree, we are the small axe" – that was popularised by Bob Marley in his 1973 song "Small Axe".

<i>Welcome to Wrexham</i> 2022 American sports documentary series

Welcome to Wrexham is an American sports documentary television series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on FX. The series documents the events of Welsh association football club Wrexham A.F.C., as told by the club's owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The series received critical acclaim, winning two Critics' Choice Television Awards and eight Primetime Emmy Awards. The second season premiered on September 12, 2023. In November 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 2, 2024. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

References

  1. 1 2 "Finding Jack Charlton". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  2. Meechan, Simon (13 October 2020). "'Finding Jack Charlton' film trailer and release date revealed". ChronicleLive.
  3. "Finding Jack Charlton is a new documentary about the Northumberland born footballer - here's where to watch it". www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk.
  4. "BBC Two to air feature-length film Finding Jack Charlton - Media Centre". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  5. "Finding Jack Charlton review – touching portrait of a footballing hero". The Guardian. 20 November 2020.
  6. 1 2 Beresford, Jack. "Finding Jack Charlton: Behind the scenes on the film celebrating English football's honorary Irishman". The Irish Post.
  7. 1 2 O'Sullivan, Charlotte (20 November 2020). "Jack Charlton's bravery shines through in profound documentary". www.standard.co.uk.
  8. Davies, Alan (30 November 2020). "Finding Jack Charlton film to be screened at St Albans cinema". Herts Advertiser.
  9. Maher, Kevin. "Finding Jack Charlton review — moving documentary about a football great". The Times . Retrieved 1 December 2020.