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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Universal Studios
Salesrank: 3433
Released: September 23, 2008 |
| Our Price: $0.90 |
| Used Price: $0.99 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Academy Award® winners George Clooney and Renée Zellweger team up in this fun-filled comedy set against the beginnings of pro football. Dodge Connelly (Clooney), captain of a struggling squad of barroom brawlers, has only one hope to save his team: recruit college superstar Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski, The Office). But when a feisty reporter (Zellweger) starts snooping around, she turns the two teammates into instant rivals and kicks off a wild competition filled with hilarious screwball antics! Critics are cheering Leatherheads as “a real winner” (Claudia Puig, USA Today).
Description of Leatherheads (Full Screen):
Leatherheads is a sort of two-fisted homage, simultaneously celebrating the early, unstructured days of professional football and the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s. George Clooney stars as "Dodge" Connelly of the Duluth Bulldogs, a wily (if a bit long in the tooth) player whose team goes bankrupt. His solution is to lure a war hero and star of the college-football circuit, Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (John Krasinski from the American version of The Office) to join the team and, through the sheer force of his celebrity, legitimize professional football. Little does Connelly know that Rutherford's war record is being scrutinized by reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) and what she uncovers may undermine the whole scheme. Leatherheads isn't seamless--at times the screwball flavor feels forced and Zellweger's performance is labored--but those few awkward elements only emphasize how zippy and fun the rest of the movie is. Clooney also directed and demonstrates some real flair with editing and letting the fringes of the story be as vital as the main plot. Krasinski, with his goofy handsomeness and a streak of Jimmy Stewart charm, shows real promise as a movie star. Though Leatherheads has plenty of broad slapstick (and most of it is pretty funny), the movie's real comic richness comes out in offhand gestures and sly revelations of character. All in all, it isn't Preston Sturges (director of classic comedies like The Lady Eve and The Palm Beach Story), but it's in his neighborhood, and that's a pretty wonderful neighborhood to be in. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Leatherheads (Click for larger image)
Leatherheads (Full Screen) Reviews:
Classiest Movie I've seen in a long time 
2009-10-11 - George Clooney, John Krasinski and Renee Zellweger are an amazing team of actors that make up one of the most refined films I've seen in a while. Clooney proves that you don't need explosions and car chases to make a great film.
A Fun 1920s Football Comedy 
2009-09-19 - Leatherheads is a comedy about the early days of professional football. In the 1920s, college football was overwhelmingly more popular than professional. Dodge Connelly (Clooney) is a professional player who hopes to change this. After his Duluth Bulldogs are disbanded due to lack of funds, Connelly comes up with a scheme to save the sport. He lures Carter Rutherford (Krasinski) away from Princeton to play for the Bulldogs. Rutherford is the highly popular college player who is hailed as a hero from World War I. Things get off to a smashing start as the first team practice with Rutherford is moved to a nearby college facility in anticipation of the crowd. More people (thousands) come to watch practice than were ever at a game (10-20). It all seems to work according to plan with the exception of Lexi Littleton (Zellweger) who comes to probe the details of Rutherford's service records in World War I. The remainder of the story focuses on how this conflict plays out.
There are plenty of good laughs in Leatherheads. Clooney and Zellweger have most of the zippy exchanges. Their first meeting is a "one upping" contest between the two. There is also physical humor such as the ridiculous fist fight that Clooney and Krasinski execute in the middle section of the movie. Clooney also works with some familiar actors from his experience on O' Brother Where Art Thou?. You may recognize the Bulldogs' Coach Ferguson (Wayne Duvall) as having played Homer Stokes while drunken reporter "Suds" (Stephen Root) was Mr. Lund, the blind radio station manager. Both are well cast and provide their own comic elements.
The story is interesting and entertaining. The special features reveal much of the historic background of the story as well as the visual techniques. There were no locations true to the 1920s football stadiums so they built facades and used CGI to create the crowds. There is also a prank that Clooney played on the cast after filming was complete. He made them go through the act of getting all muddy and prepped for shooting in front of a green screen only to call for a rap and inform them that they don't really need this scene. The reaction of the other actors shows what a good rapport Clooney established with them. Everyone had a good laugh, and Clooney's dress clothes wind up nice and muddy.
So, Leatherheads is an enjoyable movie if you like football and comedy. However, I have to ask myself the question "Is this something that I would want to watch again in the future?" Unfortunately the answer to this is probably not. While it is worth the investment of time for a single viewing, it lacks anything truly compelling to make you come back again and again.
Overall Recommendation: Rent
By the Numbers with a Coen Brothers Style and Supporting Cast
2009-09-16 - "Director and Leading Man" George Clooney Paints by the numbers in the period gridiron classic. What is good is that the detail, color and impeccable; so we know that George knows how to paint within the lines, but that is all. The charactors are given limited redemption, and the story is less than compelling in it's development. George borrows from the wonderful Coen brothers in style and from in the excellent "Oh Brother Were Art Thou". George feels also he must use token African Armericans in roles that are historically incorrect. This is not a bad thing from an inculsion standpoint, but it shows a knee jerk reaction of a Hollywierd Liberal attempting to redefine history and keep the film from being an all white folks affair. The tallented and beautiful Renee Zellweger models her role leaning somewhat on Jennifer Jason Leigh's fast talkin street smart gal reporter in the Hudsucker Proxy. Even one of her potential love interests resembles Tim Robbins charactor in the Hudsucker Proxy... Clooney has a wonderful tallent for comedy. He has wonderful repoire with the other actors. I feel Mr. Clooney is best served sticking to acting as his primary craft. He should dable less in directing and politics. I don't care for either one of them when he is involved. Overall I say that this is an ok way to pass a rainy night. I don't suggest buying this film unless you are a diehard Clooney fan. I borrowed mine from the library and feel vindicated. I originally wanted to see this film in the theather, but did not. I didn't miss anything. I also recommend George Clooney in "Oh Brother Where Art Thou", and "Intolerable Cruelty". He is very entertaining in both of these Coen Brothers films.
Garbage 
2009-09-13 - I don't know how you can give less than a star, but this waste of film needs one. I suggest you buy it so you can ceremonially melt it in your fireplace. It's a narcissistic load of Clooney excrement.
Enjoyable 1920s Football Comedy
2009-09-05 - Most of the movie is snappy comedy and old-time romance. The football scenes toward the end drag but overall a fun movie to watch and enjoy.
The early 1920's is when Leatherheads takes place. Leatherheads title comes from the helmets they wore at the time - hardly protecting the player's heads, but much about football has changed since then. Professional football was laughable. It showed the early team playing in a farm field with a cow chewing grass and looking mildly irritated her field was full of crazy men running back and forth. Few fans were around.
Dodge Connelly (George Clooney) is an older player (45 years old) and does not want his team, the Duluth Bulldogs, to fold - like other teams are across the United States. College football is doing better than the weak professional teams. Dodge latches onto a top player Carter Ruthford (John Kasinski) who is also a national hero of the First World War. Carter is young, smart and is talked into playing for the Bulldogs for $5,000 of the gate receipts. He brings in the fans, the reporters and money. The Bulldogs are on a gravy train with him - he helps pack in the fans and get bigger professional stadium.
Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is the cute Chicago Newspaper reporter (also the romantic interest of Dodge and Carter) who wants a "big" story to make her editor of a newspaper. She is ambitious, full of moxie and knows how to handle herself in a man's world of sports. The drama starts when Carter falls for her and confesses that his heroics in capturing a group of German Soldiers was sheer luck (although I thought he should still get credit). She has some guilt but prints the story and then the movie gets complicated and a little off kilter. The story line gets a bit goofy and off the point.
However the movie meanders, it was fun and enjoyable - Dodge and Lexie are played in the spirit of the 1930's romantic comedies and many laughs throughout.
