Leatherheads Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
In the beginning, the rules were simple. There weren't any.
If love is a game, who'll make the first pass?
A romantic comedy set against the backdrop of America's nascent pro-football league in 1925. Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero, is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But after the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse, Dodge convinces a college football star to join his ragtag ranks. The captain hopes his latest move will help the struggling sport finally capture the country's attention. Welcome to the team Carter Rutherford, America's favorite son. A golden-boy war hero who single-handedly forced multiple German soldiers to surrender in WWI, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field. This new champ is almost too good to be true, and Lexie Littleton aims to prove that's the case. A cub journalist playing in the big leagues, Lexie is a spitfire newswoman who suspects there are holes in Carter's war story. But while she digs, the two teammates start to become serious off-field rivals for her fickle affections. As the new game of pro-football becomes less like the freewheeling sport he knew and loved, Dodge must both fight to keep his guys together and to get the girl of his dreams. Finding that love and football have a surprisingly similar playbook, however, he has one maneuver he will save just for the fourth quarter...
| George Clooney | Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly |
| John Krasinski | Carter Rutherford |
| Jonathan Pryce | C.C. Frazier |
| Stephen Root | Suds |
| Wayne Duvall | Coach Frank Ferguson |
| Keith Loneker | Big Gus Schiller |
| Malcolm Goodwin | Bakes |
| Matt Bushell | Curly |
| Tommy Hinkley | Hardleg |
| Tim Griffin | Ralph |
| Robert Baker | Stump |
| Nick Paonessa | Zoom |
| Nicholas Bourdages | Bug |
| Jack Thompson | Harvey |
| Jason Drago | Toledo Player |
6.20 out of 10 (5211 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Not what it is advertised
posted on 18 Aug 2009What this movie is not: a screwball comedy about the rise of pro football. What this movie is: a liberal attack against U.S.soldiers. The first 1/3rd to 1/2 of this movie isn't bad at all, and I chuckled along with it. Then George's heavy handed rant against U.S. soldiers comes in. The lead antagonist, Carter, is a college football player who takes a break and enlists in the Great War. He returns a war hero and continues his football career. Turns out his heroism in the war wasn't exactly what it was said to be, and a reporter goes undercover to get the real story. This part wasn't offensive, as Carter didn't start the story, he just played along at the behest of his agent. However, when the truth comes out (this is where the chuckles end and the film changes stride to represent George's political agenda) Carter turns into an unlikeable weasel to protect his image. The soldier who outed him to Zellweger's character then retracts his story (seems he's a dirtbag too and takes a bribe from the agent). Clooney meets up with several soldiers in a bar in Chicago who are rooting for Carter's team. When a young boy (no more than 9 or 10 yrs old) roots for the other team (Clooney's team), the soldiers grab him up and are going to beat him up in front of his parents. This is the really offensive part. The soldiers are portrayed as loud, obnoxious troublemakers who are going to pound an innocent kid!!!!Clooney stands up to them and a brawl ensues. During the brawl, Clooney realizes he knows one of the soldiers and they quickly stop fighting and drink together. Seems George thinks U.S. Soldiers as a whole are scum and troublemakers, but every now and again there is a decent one (don't forget just moments earlier the soldier was with the group that was going to pound a 9 yr old kid in front of his parents). Clooney proceeds to trick Carter into telling the truth in front of the newly appointed commissioner of football. Then the commish basically tells Clooney he is going to force him to retire. At the end Clooney stands up to the commish (appointed by U.S. Congress and rules are written that take the fun out of football). Was this George as one man standing up against the U.S. government? Football took a back seat early on in this movie, and never comes back until a somewhat satisfying last game with Clooney squaring off against disgraced war hero Carter.Whatever.
A Gem!
posted on 16 Aug 2009I must confess to being greatly surprised. I went in expecting to see a lightweight, screwball sports comedy, which would have been just fine. Instead I got one of the best romantic comedies that I have seen in years. The year is 1925, the Twenties are roaring along happily, except in the world of professional football. As the sport was just starting to get its foothold in America as profession, a down on its luck team, lead by George Clooney, talks a well known college player into joining their team, which breaths life into the sport. Not only is this young superstar a great player, but he is a war hero and the public loves him. Enter Lexie, from the Chicago Tribune who suspects that all is not as its cracked up to be and sets out to uncover the truth. Instead, she and Clooney's Dodge fall in love in a whirlwind courtship reminiscent of the fast-paced comedies of yesteryear. Clooney and Zelwegger have a chemistry that is undeniable, and they deliver the fast dialogue without it ever feeling rehearsed. The result is a film that is a sheer delight.
An extremely small let-down
posted on 14 Aug 2009Leatherheads is a comedy about professional football in the 30's. It's one of those movies that has a good cast and some good moments, and yet it's a movie everyone's seen before. George Clooney stars as Dodge Connelly, a man who runs a football team that is slowly going downhill. John Krasinski is very good as Carter Rutherford, a big time football player who agrees to join their team to make it better. Renee Zellweger plays Lexie Littleton, a news reporter whose love Carter and Dodge are fighting for. This becomes a romantic comedy. It had its funny and romantic moments, it wasn't bad at all. It just wasn't good. It's a movie that's enjoyable, but in most of its moments, even the better moments, it feels forced, it feels like it's trying too hard. Nothing about it seems authentic. It has its occasional good moments, and the style is pretty good. That said, it all feels amateur, and I can't quite say it's a good movie. It's not a bad one, just one I'm not able to recommend. If you happen to run into it on TV, it's probably worth watching, just don't pay to see it, because it's simply not worth it.
Charming and Frivolous Fun
posted on 12 Aug 2009Months ago when I saw an ad for "Leatherheads", my first thought was: How many movies can Hollywood possibly make about football?? We've had "Remember the Titans", "We Are Marshall", "Friday Night Lights", "Rudy", "Radio", "Any Given Sunday", "The Longest Yard" (original and remake), "The Program", "Varsity Blues", "Jerry Maguire", "Hometown Legend", "Facing the Giants", "Necessary Roughness" – shall I go on? Even the Marx Brothers fooled around with the sport in "Horse Feathers".I've seen about half of those, and they vary in entertainment quality; but still, did we really need another one? How many times can we see that plucky underdog team with the inept, quirk-ridden players face insurmountable odds to pull off a nail-biting victory against a cocky, well-organized opponent of legendary status? Apparently one more: With "Leatherheads", George Clooney creates one of the funniest comedies I've seen in years.Clooney directs himself as "Dodge" Connelly, a pro-football player in the 1920's, when "pro" was a laughable term. In an effort to save the bankrupt sport, Connelly schemes to hire college football hero Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), whose game skills, coupled with his story of taking out an entire German platoon by himself, has made him America's poster boy.Reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) doubts Rutherford's war story and sets out to expose him. But she didn't expect Rutherford to take a liking to her. Nor did she expect Connelly to find her fascinating as well. In the end, it's more than a game between Duluth and Chicago; it's also a fight to the finish over who wins Littleton's affections.George Clooney directs with the same snappy panache he has on screen. From the opening ragtime drumbeat to the last drive off into the sunset, the film is infused with an immensely buoyant spirit that makes the entire film a viewing pleasure.The script by Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly is funny, lively, and frequently clever. Sure, it falls right into line with every other underdog sports story, but it also manages to prove that thought and creativity can still overcome formulaic doldrums. Whiplash conversations between the feisty Connelly and the irascible Littleton had me laughing out loud, and more often than any film in the past twelve months.The leading trio of Clooney, Zellweger, and Krasinksi are well-cast. Clooney brings back the comical timing and facial mugging that added a dash of zaniness to his roles in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Intolerable Cruelty", and combines it with a suave veneer that makes him an irresistible personality. Miss Zellweger is, basically, her usual self. I've never been fond of her as an actress – it's either the voice or the constant pouting expression – but she certainly does no harm here. She doesn't quite nail the Rosalind Russell persona she seems to be reaching for, though what she comes up with still works well against Clooney's antics.John Krasinski, from last year's unforgivable "License to Wed", is dashing and charming as a young college athlete. He has a nice blend of both shyness and confidence, and a killer smile. I have no doubt we'll be seeing much more of him on film screens in the future.The film is populated with some of today's most versatile character performers, including some of Clooney's fellow Coen Brothers alumni: Wayne Duvall is the Duluth manager with a constant wad of tobacco clogging every sentence he utters; Stephen Root is the team's on-staff flask-toting reporter; Heather Goldenhersh puts in a cameo as a ditsy flapper; and the legendary Jonathan Pryce plays smarmy financier C.C. Frazier.The combined effect of all the wacky personalities, which includes the entire Duluth team of misfits, results in some of the best screwball comedy moments you're sure to see this decade. Oh, the history of screwball comedy has seen better films, to be sure; but while "Leatherheads" may be pale when compared to the likes of "Bringing Up Baby", it is nonetheless a strong contender in the field. (It is also far less exhausting than listening to Katherine Hepburn rattle off a thousand words a minute.)The film itself looks beautiful. James Bissell's sets, lit and photographed by Newton Thomas Sigel, are as charming as the actors moving within them. And Randy Newman's toe-tapping ragtime pumps it all up that much more. The whole production evokes a vivid sense of nostalgia, and very much feels like we are back in the 20's – even though they didn't have such rich, colorful film stock back then.I'm not a doom-sayer about our economy, but there's a kind of irony in the fact that the film takes place just four years before the Great Depression. If you're finding yourself cutting back on your entertainment budget and don't want to risk ten bucks until you get a second opinion, allow me to recommend "Leatherheads". Of course we all have differing views on which films are worth the ten bucks, but your face will pretty much have to be chiseled in stone to not crack a few smiles during the film's run. I was still smiling when I reached my car.
I really enjoyed this film and disagreed with the critics...
posted on 10 Aug 2009...until the final 15 minutes.Whilst the film managed to keep the screwball comedy and the sports side of things fairly balanced throughout, the focus shifted too much in favour of the sport in the last 15 Min's or so. Throughout the film the Football had been the field to which the romantic hi-jicks played out, both of which complimented each other. Whilst watching it I was confused as to why reviewers have criticised Clooney's lack of focus, but their comments made sense by the end.Personally in my opinion, had the game at the end taken up half the screen-time it did, the film would have served its purpose as a fitting tribute to the romantic comedies of old. Unforuntely, this slip up has changed a 4 star film into a 3 star film. Clooney however, cannot be criticised for a substandard effort. His emulation of the 20s genre was perfect. Whilst the dialogue wasn't quite as snappy as the likes of His Girl Friday, and his chemistry with Renee didn't always gel perfectly, the film was a cinematic nostalgia trip back to a time where the men were smooth, sharp and sophisticated and the woman had more sting then hard liquor. Any effort to revive the screwball genre of old should be commended, especially when the filmmakers love of the genre is as apparent as it is here.The unfortunate thing about this film is that both members of its core audience will be slightly disappointed. Those expecting a sports film will be disheartened by the romance. Those expecting romance, will be seduced until the final sports showdown, bored for 15 minutes, then disappointed at the tacked on love ending. I was in the latter camp.***/*****
Two Leatherheads In Love
posted on 08 Aug 2009With'Leatherheads' George Clooney attempts something lighter. This football comedy set in the 20s has a charming appeal. The strength of it lies in its sense of humour. Clooney, who's already made a name for himself as a director of intense movies like 'Good Night and Good Luck' and 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind', now proves that he can handle lighter subjects. The execution is great. The language, sets and props look very 1920s and the sepia lighting and music only contribute to that. The cinematography is splendid. The whimsical score adds to the comedic situations and brings out the energy. Like many sports movies this one too ends with an 'ultimate' match but I liked how that sequence was conducted and there's a funny surprise to it too. As an actor, George Clooney takes a break from his 'Oceans Eleven' franchise (thank goodness) and while he's his usual charming on screen persona, here is a man who's aware of his age and the limitations with it but at the same time he is optimistic and willing to give things another try. Renee Zellweger oozes class and charm. She really captures the nuances of a strong independent woman of the 1920s. John Krasinski is good as Dodge's young rival (both in the field of love and football).'Leatherheads' is a comedic fictional period piece that is witty, amusing and charming. It makes for a great date movie and a fun Saturday night film.
A fun film, sit back and enjoy it.
posted on 08 Aug 2009A real fun movie, no more and certainly no less. I have to comment on the person who said 'Clooney is not a comedian'. No, he is a comic actor, and he is excellent at it. O Brother Where Art Thou, the divorce movie, also by the Coen's. Excellent. It was his early dramatic efforts that were not very successful for him. And calling Any Given Sunday the greatest sports movie ever shows how ignorant this person is. A movie filled with clichés, which every character spouts all the time. After watching it I felt like I imagine Republicans must feel when viewing Oliver Stone's other films, like Nixon or JFK. I simply wanted to beat the crap out of Stone, who is as sloppy and paranoid in his logic in Sunday as he is in Nixon, not to mention JFK. What was Cameron Diaz doing in Sunday? Was she supposed to be the one time rams owner? And why didn't Stone stop her from doing it, and suggest something that would be right and keep her from looking like a total fool? Something she is awfully good at in all her films. Enjoy Leatherheads for what it is.Here's to better films, and better reviews from the public. Wake up and smell the coffee.
Just barely likable enough.
posted on 08 Aug 2009Whenever a movie is partially filmed in your hometown,you tend to develop an automatic bias in favor of it,no matter the quality of it.This is what has occurred with me when it comes to Leatherheads.It was filmed in various locations across the southeast including my hometown of Greer,South Carolina.I even have a cousin as an extra in some of the crowd shots filmed in Charlotte,but he is so lost in that crowd,he can't be spotted.As for the film itself,I regret to say that there is no greatness here,but a just barely likable period piece.It's faults lie in it's attempts to recapture the lightning quick wit and dialog of films made in the era it represents.We basically have George Clooney and Renee Zellweger trying too hard to be Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn,and it just doesn't work.The story itself is likable enough,and that's all.
Sorry to see this fail
posted on 23 Jul 2009The story was the first problem. Even a silly comedy needs a logical sequence of events in order to work effectively. Without a solid story line the characters couldn't develop well and they didn't. This may have just been poorly edited, but ultimate responsibility there has to fall on the director."The Sting" is a good example of what they were shooting for, but they fell far short. The drama aspects weren't believable and so the interspersed comedy was flat, and the slapstick seemed to be just slapped in there.The actors all are great in other work, but this one, alas, is a miss.
Dreadful from start to finish
posted on 19 Jul 2009Leatherheads was a very boring movie from the very beginning. I had a hard time staying in the theatre for the whole movie. This is a movie where you mostly hate it or love it and I strongly didn't like it. I thought the acting was very good and they were fun to watch for older people. I guess I mostly didn't like it because I am younger. It was just way to slow moving and never picked up. The messages were saying its okay to cheat and lie. George Clooney was just a cheater the whole movie when he played football and never changed. The whole movie had like about three laughs. The laughs they did have were small. I mostly didn't like how it took place in the 1920's. It was very real and shows you how football really started. The romance was very confusing and pretty boring. Everyone in this movie was very selfish and wanted everything for themselves. The story was pretty much not even about football. It revolved around war and other stuff. One more thing is that the whole movie was all sarcasm. So if you like sarcasm you will probably like this movie. Overall this movie was very boring and a waste of money.
A quiet charmer worth seeing!
posted on 11 Jul 2009George Clooney's mastery of all things "movie" is both a blessing and a curse. If this film were made by a mere mortal, I think critics would be a lot kinder toward it. And Clooney's charisma, had it come from another actor, would have been applauded. As it was, people apparently walked into the cinema expecting another "Syriana" or "Good Night and Good Luck." I found this film to be a simple, quiet little charmer. Nothing to rave about, but easily worth an evening's time for entertainment. Stylistically, it resembled a bit of a blend between "His Girl Friday" with Cary Grant, and "O Brother, Where Art Thou," with, well, George Clooney.I would urge you, then, to take off your "serious film" or "artsy film" or "Oscar-worthy film" glasses, and put on your "Let's all have some fun at the cinema" specs. You CAN be entertained, if you allow yourself to be.
I couldn't stop laughing, it was hilarious.
posted on 11 Jul 2009Leatherheads is a romantic comedy about the start of professional football. I couldn't stop laughing, it was hilarious. The entire theater laughed at all of the right moments in the film. I highly recommend the movie for anyone who wants to see a comedy. George Clooney plays the seasoned quarterback and coach of the football team, John Krasinski is wildly funny as the hot new football player and Renee Zellweger is the witty sportswriter over whom they spar. They were all fantastic in their roles. The movie was a fast paced romantic comedy with something for everyone. It is an excellent follow-up to George Clooney's directorial debut, highlighting his versatility and strong sense of humor. I give the movie ten out of ten stars. It is a great film to take your girlfriend to.
A laugh filled and decent slapstick romantic comedy that looks at the early days of pro football.
posted on 11 Jul 2009"Leatherheads" is a movie of laughs, and feel good fun a period piece of football nostalgia that's held together by it's slapstick comedy and blended well with romance. George Clooney who stars and directs gives a good turn here, yet it seems a little uncommon seeing the superstar in a period comedy piece as he's clearly a better dramatic actor still he scores some points here for his style of shooting and direction of the film.Set in the 1920's George is 'Dodge' Connelly a football player on the field and a ladies man off it, and this is before the big money and rules changes that took into form for the game. Clooney's team the Duluth Bulldogs are a scrapper bunch at play yet the team is tough and gritty, and off the field George's Dodge character is full of drink and has eyes for a dame. Enter Lexie Littleton(Renee Zellweger)who's an elegant and sexy snap news lady of a reporter as she's a little lady in red from her nifty wardrobe. While the Bulldogs team and other foes have gone bankrupt and many move on to other traits of work like mining and labor, a plan then develops to invest in and start an organized league with the help of a famous recruit for the Bulldogs that being college ivy league stud and apparent war hero Carter Rutherford(John Krasinski). Along the way then the film blends with plenty of slapstick laughs and comic gridiron action from strange and crazy tackles to muddy fields to catchy flirtation one liners and romance that is seen in a chastely and sexy way. And the big surprise is the truth about the apparent battlefield story is revealed.Overall this isn't a great movie, but it's OK as the slapstick and laughs carry it, so if your expecting a historical serious and dramatic look at the early NFL you want get it here. Though the costumes and uniforms of the classic throwback way of no face mask, no chin gear, nor any rules make you feel just like your back watching a 1920's era game. The chemistry between Clooney and Zellweger is good as Renee is a bright treat to watch even though the laughs are good and the scenes are fun Clooney appears out of place here in a comedy work even though his performance is good, this screwball comedy scores for laughs and is flagged for drama and it's lack of focused attention on the history of the start of the NFL.
Leatherheads review...
posted on 09 Jul 2009~Leatherheads~ Last night I saw the MOST highly anticipated movie of the month!! Actually, I've been highly anticipating this movie since nearly two years ago when it was announced in Charleston that George Clooney was scouting shooting locations for his new movie that would be starring Renee Zellweger. A few months LATER (in the PRIME of my Fancy New Beesly-dom) I found out that John Krasinski had been cast in the movie & have been counting down the days until it was released. Clooney. Zellweger. Krasinski. 1920s costume, demeanour, & music. This movie could have no plot & I would love it.The movie takes place in Georgia & Chicago (filmed in Boiling Springs, South Carolina thankyouverymuch) & is about a football player named Dodge Connolly (Clooney) who recruits a war hero/football star Carter Rutherford (Krasinski) to come & play for him. Meanwhile, there are rumors circulating that Carter's big war hero story isn't entirely true & so Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) a sports writer is hired to go talk to him & get the full story. Lexie meets both Carter & Dodge & lots of flirting is to be had on both sides.It's a totally classic plot & I was beyond impressed with Clooney's vision for the movie. It's been a dream of mine for a long time to one day make a movie that wasn't just set in the olden days but to actually make it a replica of the films being made during that time. I am an old movie freak & if I ever get cast in a period piece I am going all out...voice coach to get the dialect of the time..watching the actresses constantly to pick up mannerisms & body language & what I LOVED about "Leatherheads" is that it was captured perfectly. You definitely have to go into it knowing that it's going by how movies were made in the 20s-50s. There are obvious stages set & painted backdrops of cities as well as the very end when there's a motorcycle with a moving screen behind it to make it look like it's moving. The movie is in color but if you put it in black & white & put Clooney's performance up against a reel with Cary Grant or Clark Gable it would match up perfectly. Same goes for Renee Zellweger. I was the most impressed with her performance. Her voice is already small & scratchy so she has this great way of sounding like Rosalind Russell or Ava Gardner when she talks. I also thought it was totally clever of George to cast John Krasinski as Carter. He's totally attractive in an old school way & that SMILE could seriously be on toothpaste ads. He also just looks like a normal guy..the way that all men looked back then before exercising with your shirt off with sweat dripping down your abs was the main reason you were a box office draw.I just love these three actors because their egos NEVER get in the way of their performances. George Clooney has his scenes, Renee has hers, & John, even though he's the newbie, is totally allowed to shine where he needed to. There's a speakeasy bust where Dodge & Lexie dress up as police officers & get chased throughout the building...only to pretend they're suicidal so the fire department will catch them with the trampoline. Renee is completely awesome in her first scene where she's given the assignment to go after Carter. She hops onto her boss's desk & lights up a cigarette & AHHHH I just love the kitschy banter that goes on. John Krasinski is awesome in a scene where he gets totally drunk & picks a fight with George. The three of them together were so much fun to watch & the chemistry was through the roof! The ONLY qualm I had with it was that the story was all over the place. It's called "Leatherheads" but never really decided which plot to focus on. The love triangle? The trial regarding Carter's cover up as being a war hero? The football games? I'm not faulting Clooney because frankly he's a brilliant director & I'm THRILLED that he's taking time away from acting to do more production work. The script that he used he'd been carrying around for 8 years & was written over 20 years ago by two professional sports people. I think that after a script gets that old & goes through so many re-writes that at some point you can't look at it objectively anymore so some things fall through the cracks.Overall, the movie was so much fun to watch...ESPECIALLY if you're a Turner Classic Movie junkie like me. It also goes by the rules of the time & there is only ONE kiss in the entire film..no sex..no nudity...very little language...so it's definitely a movie you can see with your whole family over the weekend. I know that sounds annoying but it was always an issue in my family growing up. My sisters & I are all 7 years apart so finding something that was appropriate for ALL of us at the same time was difficult.www.myspace.com/theportraitofalady
I sat there like a stone ...
posted on 01 Jul 2009I thought this movie was going to be good. It absolutely wasn't, despite the Oscar-winning lead actors. I may have laughed once, and I never heard anybody else in the theater laughing. Renee Zellweger's pancake make-up was very unbecoming. Everybody seems to be trying so hard in this movie, running around in imitation of slapstick but not pulling it off. I think perhaps the movie must've sounded good in development, but something got lost in translation. Were the roaring 20's really like this? I think not. Everything seems a tad artificial. Randy Newman's score was annoying. The film is in sepia tones, just like every other movie that takes place in the 20's or 30's. There's just not that much originality here.
the perfect comedy for any football fan
posted on 27 Jun 2009this light hearted comedy is a very funny comedy for any football fan. it shows the very being of football as in the time when pro football was not really considered a option for many college football stars. but the comedy its self is very winning and George Clooney proves again he can do comedy and comedy based on past times. Renée Zellweger was funny as the female lead when she first meets dodge it is funny. John Krasinski was not the best thing in this but he was not all that bad as when he fight dodge it is pretty funny.the football in the movie is no any given Sunday but i have seen worse.so as we look forward to the next big movie out this year this is a very good substitute and is wort seeing for any foe any football fan.
A Movie made in the wrong Era
posted on 15 Jun 2009This movie had all the elements I love in classic movies, but failed to execute them on many levels.I recognized Clooney's role to be one similar to many classic roles, wherein the older male has to compete with the younger male to win the girl and prove his worth. However, Clooney's character lacked depth. His dream of reviving pro-football was treated in a matter-of-fact way (as in, we know it's a popular sport now), and lacked the ups and downs, failures and triumphs of any challenge worth taking. Once the train left the station, there were very few stumbling blocks to making the dream a reality. We received little information as to who Clooney's character was, and why he loves football so much, and as such I found the character to be one-dimensional--a guy on a mission, end of. His romance with Zellweger's character lacked any tender moments, as well as a rhyme or reason why these two are even attracted to each other.Krasinki's character had all the makings of the typical younger competitive male, except innocence, which I believe is important to make a true competition. Either he's innocent (doing, saying all the right things) or he's intentionally conniving (plotting, scheming to steal the girl and glory). A mix of the two is a miss of the mark, and leaves me wondering whether I should root or jeer, and why I should even care. This lack of innocence is blown-up to be the major monkey wrench in the works, yet it had absolutely no effect on anything in the end, which left me wondering what I was supposed to derive from that subplot. This is why a clear character makes a better plot (in the classical sense): If he's good, fine, it shows Clooney's character whipped him fair and square. If he's not, he gets his comeuppance. It appeared, to me, that neither was the case.Zellweger's snarky newspaperwoman was tough to watch. She appeared to be a walking cliché. There were many Girl Friday's back in the day, but they each put their own special something into the role, which I didn't find here. Rosalind Russell was different from Barbara Stanwyck, who was different from Jean Arthur. Zellweger had lines intended to be snappy, arguments with Clooney intended to be cute, and a struggle between head and heart intended to be relatable, but every aspect fell flat. Her lines lacked personality and were paper thin, her arguments with Clooney seemed fake or forced, and her struggle between work and love seemed irrelevant as I saw no deep feelings form between her and either leading man.The plot was difficult to enjoy as it had neither modern edge nor a classic POV, which leaves me with a feeling that this movie was made in the wrong era and has very little relevance. With a modern edge, this movie could have been a much sharper (albiet less wholesome) comedy. There would be room for sharp irony(the fact that pro-football is big now), darker more serious humor (fame, fortune, and all the vices/pitfalls that come with), and more realistically outlined characters(IMO, the specific archetypes in the movie would be more hard-nosed *a newspaper person, a footballer, and a poster boy,come on* and that includes language, behavior, etc.) With a classic POV, the wholesome nature is more appropriate (as movies made in that era were), but I dare say none of the major players involved in this film have a first-hand classic POV, so that wholesome feeling feels like a mock-up and lacks the genuineness of the classics. One scene that made this aspect more apparent was when Clooney and Zellweger had to jump from a window into the police net below. I could see Powell and Loy doing that brilliantly, genuinely, and hilariously, but Clooney and Zellweger felt contrived.Ultimately, the movie had neither the modern edge to engage me nor the classic authenticity to delight me. I didn't care about Clooney wanting to make pro-football popular, or his misgivings with the rules and regulations 'hampering' the game because I didn't get to know the character. I didn't care who Zellweger ended up with as I didn't see any real connection between her character and the two leading men. I didn't care about Krasinski's 'secret' which seemed like a contrivance. Clooney and Krasinski were never in direct competition until near the end, therefore there was no real conflict until near the end.I was bored.
for Clooney a slighted venture into historical-screwball piece
posted on 13 Jun 2009Leatherheads, a 1920's period football comedy, should seem like it will be another fine addition to George Clooney's now flourishing career as a star/director. Following the auspicious debut with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (which, granted, got a big push from Charlie Kaufman's script), and Good Night and Good Luck (which, also granted, got a big push from the presence of an embodiment of Edward R. Murrow), he's dusted a screenplay that's been on the shelf for quite a few years in Hollywood and given it the big-budget Hollywood treatment. It's his biggest film so far, maybe more ambitious in terms of how the budget's used as opposed to the "Idie" movies before (in big quotes considering it's Clooney). Unfortunately, it doesn't quite fly like it should. It has charm and some interesting work from the actors, but a good deal of the comedy it tries for aren't the laugh-out-loud hits the filmmaker hopes to connect.I don't mean to be harsh on the movie, as it entertains to the sort of degree that this kind of movie can try to do (i.e. as something while doing things around the house on TV or on a plane), but it's weighed down by too much excess. A movie like Leatherheads could work much better with two things, one affecting the other: first, the historical backdrop is suffocating- having the whole facet of the story with John Krasinski's character as a war hero who really isn't (!) and the scoop from the foxy reporter (Renee Zellweger), and how this comes into play with the start of the football commissioner, etc, weighs down a plot that would work just fine as either a goofy romantic comedy out of something like Bull Durham (which I'm sure the writers have seen many times), and which leads into second, which is that the movie's just too long. With all the excess of the plot, it runs close to two hours, which compared to the brisk Howard Hawks comedies which Clooney loves is epic-length in comparison.And certain scenes disappoint that showed some promise from the trailer. Take the mid-point escalating fight between Clooney and Krasinski, as they duke it out face-to-face in the middle of the night. This could be (should be) the funniest scene in the whole movie, but it only elicits some chuckles and some grins. Clooney's zany side is what works best as a director, and when he lets the absurd fly suddenly the film starts to pick up, like the other big fight scene at the bar, where the piano player knocks a whiskey bottle over somebody's head and it all ends with a dawn-time hammered sing-a-long with everybody still conscious. If Clooney's learned anything from the Coen brothers in his comedy work with them it's that the crazier the better.Unfortunately he didn't apply it enough; the screenplay is cluttered and only allows so much as for the actors to go through *knowingly* witty dialog. Maybe it's been a while since I've seen some classic screwball comedies (or football movies for that matter), but by the end I felt like the old lady from the 80s Wendy's commercials: Where's the beef? 5.5/10
Unconventional and worth a watch
posted on 11 Jun 2009I became a fan of George Clooney watching him as Billy in The Perfect Storm. But I must say I watched this movie for its Renee factor much more than anything else.Leatherheadsis quite a conventional unconventional movie. It got no save the world plot, and yet has more than one plot intertwined within another series of plots. Just like ordinary life. The movie is quite subtle and has a plot of a suspected war hero, a failing football player, the birth of professional football and a teeny weenie romance as a side dish. Each scene seems honest and short. And sometimes shocking. There are no technicalities and the entire movie follows no particular rule of movie making or story telling. Just like the tagline says, this is a movie before the rules where there.Renee is a reporter sent to check the stories of an alleged war hero who now plays football but wants to study in Princeton. Clooney is struggling in football with a rough gritty team that's got all the usual comical characters. The forty year old man fights over the thirty old lady with the twenty year old boy. The villain is the new chief of professional football who brings in the rules to the game. There is one final football match that sets into concrete everyone's character. And the movie is over before you know it.Its a slapstick comedy in the 1920's. Its light and easily subject to too much criticism. Its worth a watch.
Charming and Delightful
posted on 22 Aug 2009I absolutely loved this film.I was a little skeptical since it was a football movie. Don't get me wrong, I love football, but there have been so many football movies made over the years, the topic feels a little worn out for me. I went into the theater skeptical, and walked out ultimately charmed and delighted.The wittiness of both George Clooney and Renee Zellweger was adorable. Their energy throughout the film was great. It was quite entertaining and interesting to take a historical look at professional football. The atmosphere in this movie was beautiful. My friend and I laughed and cheered throughout the entire movie. What a breath of fresh air.I highly recommend this movie. It's lightheartedness, fun, and charm touched my heart and left me smiling all the way home. Three cheers for Leatherheads!