Leatherheads (2008) User Reviews

A slapstick comedy that is cute and enjoyable to watch

[the-movie-guy · 7/10 · 3 April 2008]

(Synopsis) Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly (George Clooney) is the team captain of the Bulldogs in the struggling pro football league in 1925. The entire pro football league is in danger of collapsing, one team at a time, and his team is next. Dodge gets an idea of saving the team by recruiting a college football star who fills the college stadium with over 45,000 cheering fans. With the lure of big money, Dodge is able to convince Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski) to drop out of college and join the team. Carter is not only a star football player who can outrun his completion, but he is also a national war hero of WWI who single-handedly captured a platoon of German soldiers. Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is a newspaper journalist assigned to get Carter's real inside story about the capture of the German soldiers. To get the story, Lexie must travel with the team, and in time, both Carter and Dodge fall for her. Only one will win her love as the fourth quarter comes to an end.

(My Comment) George Clooney not only starred in this slapstick comedy, he also directed it. The movie may not win any awards, but it is enjoyable to watch. Since the movie took place in 1925, the writers took us back to that time, and slapstick was the rule. If you let yourself go and get into the movie, you will actually get the feel of that era. George is very talented, but I don't think he has a flair for comedy. Renee Zellweger and George share a chemistry together that works well for this movie. You may think this is a chick flick, but you would be somewhat wrong. The love angle doesn't really get going until the end. You will love the way they play pro football with very few rules, especially, the last game that is played in the mud. This is a cute movie, and I know they had a lot of fun making it, because it shows. (Universal Pictures, Run Time 1:54, Rated PG-13)(7/10)

Don't look too deeply

[phillip_keiman · 7/10 · 15 April 2008]

Having just seen the movie and read the other comments I felt I had to respond. OK, so the dialogue is a little clunky in places and there is no great emotional journey or powerful moral at the end so accept it for what it is - a nice little movie that passes a couple of hours and leaves you with the feeling that you've been entertained. Why is it that people always expect George Clooney to do powerhouse / classic films?? Maybe he wanted to make this because he liked the story and thought other people would too? The characters are simple as is the story but it never pretends to be anything big. It's a light hearted caper that does nothing the offend the senses or damage the careers of anyone involved. Let it wash over you! My advice? Go see it and make up your own mind, who knows - you might even enjoy it.

Likable Period-Piece...!

[canuckteach · 7/10 · 5 April 2008]

I saw Leatherheads today, despite the negative comments here at IMDb. On the whole, I agree with the 'movie-guy: Doug' who ventured that this is a "slapstick comedy that is cute and enjoyable to watch". I'd add that this is a comedic period-piece, which is pleasant and witty, rather than hilarious and knee-slapping (if you want to get technical). It offers excellent sets, costumes and characterizations typical of the Roaring 20's when Newspapers were godlike, and Radio was just unfolding.

It's (loosely) about Pro Football in the 20's. The message is that the game was rough, poorly-regulated and messy! (No wonder Baseball was America's game!) College players fared better, with fervent fan support and well-tended fields of play -- but after College, great players packed it up and got real jobs (or switched to baseball, I guess). In this story, George Clooney hopes to boost the fortunes of his floundering Toledo Pro team by recruiting a college superstar (and reported war-hero), played by John Krasinski. Renée Z. is the ace reporter dispatched to get the goods on the football hero's military service record.

The film was reminiscent of the 1988 film '8 Men Out' in doing a great job of recreating the look and feel of that era. However, '8 Men Out' was based upon a real life incident and a fabulous book. 'Leatherheads' was a story one IMDb contributor says George Clooney carried around in his pocket for 20 years. So, I'd agree that the storytelling and comedy bits of the screenplay are lacking a bit. However, George does fine as a Director and Performer -- I don't buy that comedy isn't 'his thing' - he was sparkling in 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou' and 'Intolerable Cruelty' (ahhhhh, but those were Coen Brothers scripts, which showed what George could do with a real creative team behind him). Also, it looked like the cast had a hoot making this thing -- to be honest, if the DVD has lots of bloopers and special features, that alone might induce me to pick it up in 2009.

I quite enjoyed the film, but, then, I like period pieces, especially those about the Jazz Age (8 Men Out, Great Gatsby and the Sting are in my Top-20). Nice soundtrack by Randy Newman here, too. This was witty and pleasant to watch. And PG-13 comedies that are NOT about singles dating morons or kids with three dads, or sperm donors (the Previews at our matinée today) are in very short supply these days.

Might add that Renée was quite charming in the manner of a glamor girl of the Jazz Age, with soft blonde hair and strategic use of red lipstick to produce that perfect 'kissy' smile! Pete Gerety, a veteran character player, chips in with a nice spot as a new Football Commissioner. I recognized Gerety as the smooth-talking oil baron 'Lee Janus' in another Clooney project, Syriana.

7/10 - canuckteach

btw: The NFL really didn't get rolling as a major diversion until NFL Films made it a TV legacy in the late 60's. (In the 50's, it was viewed in crummy black and white with those ugly-duckling 4-poster goalposts).

OK film but lacks the spark and fun that the trimmings suggest it should have

[bob the moo · 13 July 2009]

Like a lot of people, I never bothered with this film when it came out in the cinemas because of the negative reviews that it got. Likewsie when it came to DVD it sat at the bottom end of my rental list waiting for me to want to watch it. Eventually I did and initially I thought that the reviews had been unfairly harsh because the film seemed like it was going to be a light and sparky sports period piece that captures the screwball comedies of years gone by. This is how it starts but unfortunately it is not how it continues. It is not like, at some point the film suddenly gets "bad" (it doesn't) but more that it doesn't quite have the sparkle or life that the trimmings all suggest that it will.

In terms of capturing the period, it does a great job – or at least it does a great job of continuing the nostalgic idea of the period. It does this with a cool jazz soundtrack, good costumes and the suggestion of the snappy dialogue that the screwball movies are known for. I say suggestion because of the places where the film doesn't have the zing that it needed is in the script. It does have its moments though and it is quite fun at times but mostly it feels like it is just falling short of where it should be. It has a couple of things that don't help this either. Firstly it is too long, maybe not for the plot (it doesn't "drag" per se) but certainly for the light tone. Secondly, the romance aspect of the plot doesn't really work, which is partly down to the casting of Zellweger.

Where Clooney fits the bill as a "too-cute by half" square-jawed matinée star, Zellweger cannot convincingly deliver her lines in a way that works. I think of Jennifer Jason Leigh in Hudsucker Proxy – she did an impression of an actress in a screwball comedy that was pretty good and looking at that shows up how ill-suited Zellweger is. I know people dislike her on principle but I am not one of them, I just thought she was pretty poor here. Krasinski is good in his role even if, to be frank, he didn't do anything that suggested he has more than the range of characterisation that he has already shown on The Office – and that should be of concern to his "people" since he will soon need to breakout of that show as it cannot run forever. The supporting cast has plenty of interesting and recognisable faces who do solid work.

Leatherheads is not a terrible comedy as some have suggested and it should not be criticised for being inconsequential or light. Sadly though it is not frothy, sparky or fun enough to be the film that it was clearly intended to be. OK there are specific issues with aspects of the plot and some (well, one) bit of casting but generally this bigger picture problem is what limits it to be an "OK" film but no better than that.

Are you ready for some football?

[ironhorse_iv · 7/10 · 20 January 2013]

Before there wasn't any rules, there was a game with no rules. George Clooney brings the audience to a time where there were no Super Bowls, and America pro-football league was really struggling. The film is a romantic 'screwball' comedy set against 1925 starting the over camera mugging leading man Dodge Connolly (George Clooney), a charming, brash football hero, is determined to guide his team from cow fields to packed stadiums. George Clooney is best suite for comedy, and it works in this film. His charm, his timing, and the way, he can get the attention to the audience to follow him is amazing. He's seems the leader type in the role. He wants to make the sport better, but deep inside of him, he knows he can't do the breaking of the rules anymore if he wants the sport to survive. Right now it's not. Not only the team lose their sponsor due to fighting, but the entire league faces certain collapse, unless Dodge can figure out a way to save the sport. Dodge convinces a popular college football star to join his ragtag ranks. That popular college football star is All-American Carter Rutherford ( John Krasinski) a World War 1 who single-handedly forced multiple German Soldiers to surrender during the trench warfare. Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field that can help the struggling sport finally capture the country's attention. Carter also holds a secret about his past, that Dodge is trying to figure out. Not only Dodge, but Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) a sport journalist looking for the big scoop. Lexie tries to get close to both Dodge and Carter to find out if there is truly a deep dark secret that Carter is holding and maybe the All-American American isn't as perfect as it seems. Renee is no more then repeating how she acts when playing Roxie Hart in Chicago. Something about her, doesn't speak or look sexy. It's not new, it's feels cartoony when hearing the fast-talking exchanging between her and Dodge. The script gives her hard-boiled witticisms to work with, some are good quotes that are quite funny and sophisticated, others need some more work. It works better then some of the dearth of dialogue in other period films from today. The love triangle between the three is great, because each of them are trying to get over the other. The ending game is still awesome, I like how they pull out a way for the team to use what they learn for the War to apply to the game of football. George definitely was influenced by th film "The Sport Parade" (1932) for this film, and the film also loosely mirrors the real life events that save the NFL in real life, with Jim Thorpe joining the Canton Bulldogs. The team in the film also sports the name 'Bulldogs'. Leatherheads try re-creates a genre long lost, and while both don't fully realize the style of the classics they emulate, it's refreshing to see someone still remembers. The overacting by George Clooney and Renee Zellweger's sun parched face does hurt the film. The music, by Randy Newman, gooses the action along in a desperate effort to create an atmosphere of madcap Jazz Age insouciance, but over all, it's mediocre, but it's worth watching. Yes, it might be dumbfounded, and have some scarecrows brains bad pacing areas in the film, but eventually it's just a matter of taste. I find this so-so good, so check it out if a football fan.

A laugh filled and decent slapstick romantic comedy that looks at the early days of pro football.

[blanbrn · 7/10 · 4 April 2008]

"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.

Lighten up people, it was FUN!

[RubyJuly1958 · 7/10 · 8 April 2008]

I've read so many negative, dismissive reviews of this movie and I have to say, LIGHTEN UP for heaven's sake! It's not meant to stand with Ghandi or Gone With the Wind. It's just a fun, silly movie with a thin plot and lots of laughs and sight gags. Go to see it because you just want to sit back with your popcorn and laugh. (And daydream about George Clooney.) Clooney gave us "Good Night and Good Luck", so it's not like we should feel he "owes" us a "serious" movie. It's a fluffy little piece of nostalgia, a movie you won't be afraid to go see with your tween-age kids or Mom and Pop. Gramps will love it too, with all the vivid images of the "good old days" and a great ragtime score.

Clooney and Zellweger are campy in their roles (isn't that what they were shooting for?) and Stephen Root is a quiet riot as the hard drinking team owner.

Perfectly likable.

[fiftydubloons · 7/10 · 28 May 2013]

I think, as they often do, The AV Club put my opinion of 'Leatherheads' more concisely than I ever could. They say the following about the film:

"If amiability equaled greatness, Leatherheads would be destined to become a classic."

Nevertheless, I am very surprised at the largely negative reputation this film has and believe it to be somewhat underrated. Clooney's directorial filmography reads like a list of films I've always meant to get round to seeing and although Leatherheads was probably a rather odd place to start, I'd be more than happy to watch it again. It is a fun, zippy comedy with a slightly misplaced romantic subplot that dulls the film when it takes center stage in the second act. In addition to this, John Krasinski's character was evidently a nightmare for the screenwriters, as he is required to be almost a villain while also being actively likable and sympathetic. Although Rick Reilly (the film's scriptwriter) somewhat pulls this off, it's one of the more difficult balancing acts I've seen in a lighthearted comedy.

As I say, the film is at it's best when it's attention is away from Renee Zellwegger and the tired love triangle tropes. Obviously the high points of the film come during the interactions between Clooney and Krasinski and when the characters take to the field to actually play football. This may be somewhat unsurprising given my prior stated love of both screwball comedies and underdog sports movies, but I think I may be on the side of general consensus with that one. The AV Club's quote highlights the fact that this film is a lot of fun to watch and had me constantly smiling throughout, even if it was somewhat lacking in full- on gut laughs. There were a number of set pieces that just felt like a loving embracement of a kind of sweet wackiness at the film's core, and none more so than the film's final football match which is somewhat predictably the highlight.

But alas, the sting in the tail of that initial quote is still present too. Whilst I had a lot of fun watching Leatherheads I'd struggle to recommend that it'd be anyone's favourite movie. While it does most of what it does well it lacks lofty ambitions and mostly plays it's humour where it knows it is close to the surface. I'm confident that if it dug a little deeper the edges could've perhaps been sharper and the characters could've maybe been deeper. Were that the case we may have been looking at an extra half-star but as it is Leatherheads is a respectable, enjoyable film that I'd thoroughly encourage anyone to check out if they like watching a film to feel like they're being hugged by a time period.

Don't sit too close at a ballet

[mjjusa-1 · 4/10 · 4 April 2008]

'Leatherheads' tries so hard. Tries to be light hearted. Tries to be a comedy. Tries to be a love affair. Let's see, it tries to be a 'His Girl Friday' by way of 'The Sting' by way of 'It Happened One Night' by way of a dozen sports movies. Alas, trying isn't doing and the movie is as soggy as the last game's field.

A fan of movies would watch the big fight scene in the speakeasy between the Duluth Bulldogs and some soldiers and realize that the fights that John Ford staged with such style and verve and humor in movies like 'The Quiet Man' or 'Donovan's Reef', or 'The Searchers' may have seemed easy to do but obviously aren't. I would bet George Clooney thought channeling John Ford would be easy as well. How hard could it be: masculinity run amok, punches, bottles broken over heads, an imperturbable piano player...just put it up there on the screen with some happening music. Sorry. It takes a master to make fight scenes flow.

Movies aren't wished into existence. Humor is hard. Romance is hard. Slapstick a lost art.

I once read that you never wanted to sit too close to a ballet performance. Something about not wanting to prick the fantastic bubble of the performance by hearing the thuds of the dancers' feet or the grunts of the lifts. This movie is like that...all strain and good intentions, handsome actors, nice sets, but it thuds through its paces rather than gallops like the original Galloping Ghost, Red Grange, who the movie is loosely based on.

Clooney Scores a Field Goal

[supermario902000 · 7/10 · 2 June 2010]

Set in the late 1920's, Leatherheads, directed by George Clooney, takes a look into the formation and legitimization of professional football in the United States. The film is not the best of Clooney's work as a director, but it definitely got me to laugh and kept me interested with a plot that thickens as the movie progresses in this romantic, screwball, sports comedy. Now that may sound like a mouthful of genres thrown together, but taking place in the world of football, then filled with field workers, coal miners, and generally the brutes who could not make it into college, the film incorporates a love triangle between Dodge Connelly (George Clooney), Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford(John Krasinski), and Lexie Littleton(Renée Zellweger) along with a double plot. Early in the film it is revealed that Dodge's team, the Deluth Bulldogs, has gone bankrupt and can't afford to keep paying its players or travel to away games, which is also the reality of many other teams at the time. College football, on the other hand, is extremely popular, especially the sensational Carter Rutherford, a war hero (he single handedly stopped a squad of German soldiers while in combat) that is unstoppable on the field and has dashing good looks. Dodge plans to save the dying professional football league by recruiting Rutherford to play for the Deluth Bulldogs. In the midst of this, Lexie Littleton is a young, attractive, spitfire reporter assigned to do a story on the country's youngest and biggest war hero; however, the goal of her story is to find a fault in the man, to discredit the young hero and find out the truth. All three of our characters then find themselves together as Dodge coincidentally meets Lexie right before he talks Rutherford into playing for the Bulldogs. The movie goes on to follow the three of them in their tour of the east coast, playing football and trying to uncover the truth, with lots of screwball comedy along the way and some surprising twists in the story.

The actors chosen for this film were an okay cast. George Clooney is a very strong, charismatic actor with a strong background from films such as "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) and "O Brother Where Art Thou?" (2000). He plays a convincing role in this film as well, making the audience believe that he really loves playing football with his friends and doesn't want to lose it just because there's no more money in it. His character does develop well throughout the movie as he faces the issues in front of him, and does so with a charm like any other man from the '20s would have. John Krasinski, most well known as Jim from NBC's "The Office", plays a much better role in this film then he did in "License to Wed" (2007). He fits the character perfectly as he is able to connect with both Clooney and Zellweger, even though he is much younger. Zellweger is the only character that wasn't the best possible cast in the movie for Littleton's character. Although she does look like she could be straight out of the 20's with her costumes and attitude in the film, her chemistry with Clooney and Krisinksi seems to be a little forced, like they are acting, as opposed to a flowing chemistry that makes the acting disappear and brings the film to life. The other problem is the age difference between the characters; it's a love triangle between different generations, this is a cause of the poor chemistry in some of the scenes. Overall each actor fits their own respective character and plays them well, and with Clooney's and Krasinksi's strong background in comedy, it really makes for a fun, playful film as they throw quip's back and forth at each other and try to woo Zellweger along the way.

Aside from the acting, the art direction of this film was done excellently by Christa Munro and Scott T. Ritenour. The movie is scripted to take place in the 20s, and it looks like it was filmed then. Every single outfit seen in the movie is tailored and looks completely authentic to the time period (Costume designer: Louise Frogley) . The main outfits seen in the film are all custom fit suits, with common colors, such as black and tan. The military uniforms seen are also all accurate to the times, simple yet authoritative, and accurate to the uniforms used during World War II. The vehicles are all old Model T's etc, and Clooney rides around on a 1918 Indian motorcycle(which is actually an electric replica, but looks real nonetheless). The main transportation used in the film is by train, which was a new and popular way to travel during that era. The uniforms worn during the football games are also accurate to what was worn in the 20's by football players. The film even includes a scene that takes place in a speakeasy, as prohibition was still in effect at that time.

The biggest downfall of the movie is the poor chemistry between Clooney and Zellweger, as they are the main love interests of the film, but their mismatched casting does not take away too much from the enjoyment of the film. The film is very appealing to the eye because of its accuracy of what the '20s looked like. The jokes throughout the film are also good for a laugh and are sure to at least make you smile. The plot of the film also starts somewhat slow, but the jokes start early and allow you to get past that. As the film progresses and more is revealed and the characters start to change and develop, the film becomes more enjoyable and continually draws you in, especially to find out what happens to the Bulldogs after signing Rutherford and what is the true story behind his heroism. This is definitely a film worth seeing for a good laugh and good time.

I tried SO hard to like it, but could not....

[xemxija · 5/10 · 3 April 2008]

I saw an advance screening of Leatherheads at NYU Movies101 last night.

I was so excited when it was announced that this movie was being shown.

I settled in my seat ready to enjoy another great movie that George Clooney directs and acts in.

All during the film, I thought to myself "Is it just me, or is this movie going nowhere?". I was trying SO hard to like it.

Well, it wasn't just me. I was surprised to see about ¾ of the full house of people I saw it with feel the same way, even the hosting professor.

As discussed after the screening, it had Top-Notch Scenic Design, Sound Track (by Randy Newman), Editing, Acting (Renee Zellweger was fabulous), Directing, Costumes, and Cinematography. It did not have a good story, and that is what made it fail. The script was written in the 1980's by two sports writers. Clooney has been carrying it around with him for over 2 decades. I suspect that the script was pretty much left the script alone from its origin.

The concept of the story is great, but the writing was horrible. Maybe George Clooney thought that the concept and grandeur would "carry" the film? It was disappointing to see George Clooney in a movie that did not compliment him in anyway. He does do comedy well, as he did in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". How can you act well with terrible material? George's Directing was great.

The Roaring 20's, Clooney Style

[rosti-4 · 8/10 · 3 May 2008]

Just yesterday, my family and I were itching to go to the movie theatre. After my grandfather recommended it to us for being "hilarious slapstick humour", and after seeing some funny previews, we decided to see Leatherheads. Leatherheads, George Clooney's latest movie, dives into the Roaring 20s, early professional football, the Chicago Tribune, and fake war heroes, all in about an hour and 44 minutes. As unappealing and generic as that might sound compared to the average comedy feature, it was actually a quite fun movie, which is to be expected coming from Clooney.

The movie follows the story of the Duluth Bulldogs, a professional American football team, and its most well-known player, Dodge Connelly. Luck is not always on the Bulldogs' side, as can be interpreted from the outcome of the first game you watch them play, but trickery and cheating is. Dodge becomes infamous for cheating almost every game and leading his team to victory because of it. It was okay then, though. There were no rules to American football early on, and cheating was what made the game interesting. That's one of the main themes of the movie.

After the introduction comes Lexie Littleton (played by Renée Zellweger), a quick-witted reporter for the Chicago Tribune who doesn't like her co-workers too much. After calling them "dimwitted" or something similar for the fortieth time, Lexie is assigned by her boss to a story on Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (played by John Krasinski), a war hero with a more than embellished story. When she is promised the assistant editor's desk if she brings back some dirt on The Bullet and exposes his fake war story, Lexie sets out on quite the adventure, meeting Dodge and the rest of the Bulldogs along the way.

I know that all of this probably sounds generic to the average moviegoer, but it's actually a quite fresh and fun movie. With any other actor and actress at the forefront at the movie, it may have come off as generic and boring, but Clooney and Zellweger have enough chemistry and enough quirks to make the movie fun. There are also some absolutely classic lines and scenes. It's just a fun movie. Don't expect too much depth, because there really isn't any. This movie is more than enough to quench the thirst of any moviegoer who asks for nothing more than an hour and a half of simple humour and slapstick antics.

The historical accuracy is there. Some scenes are featured in a speakeasy, with a female African-American jazz singer performing. Basically everything you see is typical of the time period. Actually, anyone watching the movie might get a little shock when they hear that coffee is only 10 cents a cup at a diner Dodge stops at early on in the movie. However, on the other hand, some major plot areas are not at all historically accurate, especially relating to the football commissioner, since there was no football commissioner for the NFL until 1941. However, this is perhaps looking too deeply into a fun, casual movie.

The main criticism I have of this movie is that some of the scenes just go on too long, especially the punching scene which was featured in the previews. After they punch each other in the face for the tenth time and finish it off with a bad joke from The Bullet, you already are hoping that one of them will bash the other's skull in by accident or something just so that the scene can end. To offset that, however, there were some very quick and humorous scenes, like the scene in which Dodge first meets Lexie in the hotel and tries to hide his face by reading an issue of a women's magazine.

Overall, Leatherheads is worth it for the entertainment value. The story isn't fantastic, but the acting is enough to make up for it, even if you only pay attention to Dodge's witty exchanges with Lexie. If you don't go in expecting too much, you will leave satisfied, refreshed, and entertained, and that's really all the movie aimed for.

George Clooney hits back to slap stick

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 10 April 2008]

You know the phrase "they don't make them like they used too"? Well, George Clooney definitely took that to heart when he decided to direct and act in Leatherheads. This movie hits back to "It Happened One Night" type of slap stick, or at least that's what it reminded me of. To me it seems like George Clooney is trying to be like the next Clark Gable, Renee Zellwegger, don't get me wrong, I love this girl, she's a great actress, but I wasn't too impressed with her performance in Leatherheads. With her and George it seemed like they were trying so hard to make the slap stick work and really forced it, while the jokes are funny, it doesn't click as well as it should like the old time comedies. The problem with this movie is that it doesn't know wither it wants to be a romantic comedy slap stick or how football was born in America type of comedy, so George Clooney misses more than hits.

Set in the 1920's, Jimmy and his football team are in the birth of football. The problem is that they don't win and their sponsors are fed up with their stunts and loosing streaks. So when they drop the football team, Jimmy looks for a job, but fails, but later he comes across college football star, Carter Rutherford. He offers Rutherford to join the team and the sponsors get back into play. Rutherford is also known war hero and reporter, Lexie Littleton is on the case to find out "the truth" that could possible damage Carter's career. But Jimmy is also attracted Lexie and may have to give up the only way to boost the football team's reputation again for Lexie's story.

Would I recommend Leatherheads? I would say that it's worth a matinée, it's a cute movie and has some fun laughs. I loved the scene with Jimmy and Carter who just punch each other in the face and beg not to hit anywhere else because it's their weak spot. Just I think the editing was a little off, some scenes I don't understand why they were not cut in half or were even needed. George Clooney wasn't looking to make a masterpiece, but I think he took this film in the wrong direction and it's not that impressive. It's a decent movie, worth the watch, but it's not something I would buy.

6/10

Cinema 101: How *Not* To Make a Screwball Comedy

[TJ_McCarthy · 1/10 · 28 April 2009]

A lot of the negative reviews here concentrate on the historical accuracy of this film. OK, it had about as much to do with the actual NFL as your average war movie has to do with an actual war, or a Western has to do with the true "old west". So, I think we should give them an artistic license pass on that one.

The problem here is, the director (Clooney) apparently thinks that making a screwball comedy means a) do stupid things, b) mug for the camera, and c) take stupid scenes full of mugging and stretch them out way too long. Screwball comedies need a fast pace, not necessarily frenetic, but moving briskly along at all times. Here, things drag, and drag, and drag. After you watch this movie, it will make you appreciate how brilliant Mack Sennett was when he pretty much pioneered the genre with his Keystone Cops. After 90 years, you would think that directors would have studied the old masters and learned a thing or two, maybe even improved on things a bit. But no, it's as if someone had watched an automobile pioneer build a Duesenberg, and nearly a century later, paid homage and "improved" on the concept by cobbling together a child's wagon with square wheels.

I've enjoyed several of Clooney's movies, I consider him a gifted actor. But very few actors can competently direct themselves; Clint Eastwood notably took a while to get the hang of it. Clooney is clearly at the bottom of a very steep slope. The movie becomes more watchable during the very few times he is out of the frame, but when he's in the picture, he makes himself the centre of attention. In the fight scenes, his mugging is so obnoxious you wish somebody would thump him for real.

If you are making a screwball comedy and want some romance thrown in, you need to develop some chemistry between the male and female leads. Clooney and Zellweger have all the chemistry of pair of dumpsters sitting in a parking lot. No spark, no sizzle, not even a post-mortem twitch. Zellweger, who has also turned out some pretty good movies, must have traded her botox injections for oak tannin, giving a stunningly wooden performance. She might just have pulled off the "tough broad in a man's world" act if just once, while trying to out-testosterone the guys, she had looked into the camera with a little half-smile and twinkle in her eye. But no, she kept her jockstrap cinched up tight to the very end.

Of course, the biggest sin here is that the movie simply isn't funny. Doing stupid things is not the same as slapstick. Doing stupid things very inventively, like the Stooges, or very athletically, like Buster Keaton, can be hilarious. But otherwise it's boring and, well, stupid. I think I got one good laugh out of the entire movie.

Avoid this one. I saw it for free on cable, and still wanted my money back.

Good Play

[tedg · 5 April 2008]

Screwball is all about pacing, timing, syncopation. I would have thought it impossible to make a modern screwball movie today. Its because TeeVee has scrambled the code, replacing the way we receive events. With screwball, they twist in unexpected directions, sure. But it isn't just that they go haywire, but that they do so a half beat before we expect. This hurts our viewing old classics as well, but we make allowances.

In this case, some of that is handled by the setting: between the world wars. But most of it is in the pacing.

That's not just a matter of editing. If it were, we'd have better movies. No, the thing has to be composed on the film with the components of the flow all worked out ahead of time. I suppose this is usually a matter of intuition or just application of the familiar. So when it is done in an odd form like this, it has to be deliberate.

There aren't many actors who I credit as being even a competent director. Actually, I can only think of Welles. Clooney isn't the experimenter he was, and isn't interested in manipulating the narrative or staging. But he's got this notion of playing the pulse of the thing down perfectly.

This is a wonderful picture, and ever so much more attractive if you see how his directing circumnavigates the art of acting.

This story is entirely actor-centric, and yet it still works. I really like this guy.

Part of the game is how he folds the game into the film. The pacing and directing of the game and the film of course. A double joke on playing by the rules, and an act of misdirection. This latter is particularly clever; a football play that involves a disguise and shifting sides, a pack of fake lost army buddies in costume, and a wartime event that revolves around mistaken identity.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Quite fun; Zellweger is awful, though

[zetes · 7/10 · 6 April 2008]

Clooney's third directorial outing, and his followup to the Oscar nominated Good Night and Good Luck. This movie is quite a bit lighter, a screwball comedy about the early days of professional football. Clooney stars as a pro football player for the Duluth Bulldogs in 1925. The sport is not very popular at this level, but is insanely so at the college level. His plan to increase attendance and save the sport is to recruit football and war hero John Krasinski, who plays for Princeton, onto the team, though college football players rarely go on to the pros. Meanwhile, a reporter from Chicago, played by Renée Zellweger, has discovered that Krasinski's war hero story is bunk, and plans to expose him. While never hilarious, it's quite an enjoyable movie. Clooney, I think, is a more talented director than any of his three films have displayed. I think, if he ever gets his hands on a great script, he'll knock out a truly great film. He captures the period detail well, and the photography is great. I think the film would be a whole lot better without Zellweger. I'm not necessarily a Zellweger hater, but she's staggeringly awful here and drags the whole film down a notch. I like the whole fin de siecle mood. Nothing especially memorable, but a good time.

"Leatherheads" movie fumbles the plot

[ovolacto · 6/10 · 4 April 2008]

Now, I am not sure if they used the "Pig in a Poke", or the "Crusty Cat Tail", but they sure did pull the razzle-dazzle on the audience with this one. The trailer makes the movie appear to be the exciting story of the infancy of Professional Football spiced up with the romance of two players competing for the attention of a witty, upstart female journalist. Wait, it must be the "Statue of Liberty" play. Just when you think the director is going to pass you downfield to a cute, funny movie, he hands off on the end around to another ordinary story.

"Leatherheads" is the tale of Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly of the Duluth Bulldogs. Professional football is in its infancy and not catching on with fans. Teams are going belly-up all around, and the Bulldogs are one of them. After seeing the publicity garnered by one collegiate athlete, Connelly has the idea to sign the Princeton University star back named Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford. He hopes crowds of fans will come to see Rutherford play and pay good money to do so, thus saving his team and the league. The ploy seems to work, but, at the same time, Lexie Littleton, star reporter of the Tribune, comes to town to uncover the truth about Carter Rutherford.

Rutherford turns out to be a publicity "double threat". Not only does he play football like a man possessed, he also served in World War I, won acclaim there as well and came back to the states a hero. At the Ardennes in southern Belgium, Rutherford captured an entire platoon of Germans singlehandedly in Sergeant York style. America loves him. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers from Rutherford's platoon contacts the Editor of the Tribune claiming Rutherford is a fraud. I suppose the Editor could just print the other soldier's revelation, but, instead, he sends star reporter, Lexie Littleton, to charm the truth out of Rutherford, and she succeeds.

Under the spell of Littleton and in a moment of weakness, Rutherford reveals that he did capture the Germans, but his heroics are exaggerated. Rutherford actually fell asleep in a trench and did not notice when the rest of his platoon moved out. With the trench vacated, the Germans move in to attack the allies. Rutherford, trapped behind lines, throws his hands in the air and shouts, "I give up" in German. The other Germans think he is one of them, throw their hands up too, and the allies come back to capture them all. With the press in attendance, the story is blown-up to sell to the folks back home.

There is some political volleyball with "Should she tell the truth?", "Will it ruin football?", and "What's good for the country?", but the story is published and Littleton is put in the hot seat. When Rutherford recants the story he told Littleton, Connelly pulls a fast one tricking Rutherford to confess in front of the Commissioner of Football, promoter C.C. Frazier and the Editor of the Tribune, but the movie is not over yet. To remind us that this is football movie, one last, meaningless game is played and the Bulldogs win using muddy jerseys and trickery. Somewhere during the movie, Connelly and Littleton fall in love. In the tradition of Hollywood cowboy movies, Connelly and Littleton get hitched, and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after, but not on a horse. Instead, they hop on Connelly's Harley Davidson, complete with sidecar. End of show.

Like a preseason NFL game, there is football at the beginning of this movie and football at the end, but the product in between is questionable. The movie has its moments, but cannot sustain the momentum very long. Actually, there is more football in the trailer, (which is ultimately more interesting than the movie), than there is in the entire film. For a comedy, it is not particularly funny. For a romance, it is not particularly romantic. I left the theatre thinking the Xs and Os did not play out quite the way they were drawn up on the chalkboard. Maybe they should have used the other playbook.

A rating of "B" is very fair for this movie. How can a movie with Renee Zellweger and George Clooney rate lower than that? Not every great talent can direct himself in a movie and that is probably where Clooney went wrong. It is a cute idea with a lot of potential, but, like a Heisman Trophy winner who did not make it in the big leagues, the plot moves along like a grizzled veteran coming off injured reserve.

Title: "Leatherheads" Director: George Clooney Rating: PG-13, Run Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes, Genre: Comedy, Romantic Comedy Cast: George Clooney as Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly, Renee Zellweger as Lexie Littleton, John Krasinski as Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford, Jonathan Pryce as C.C. Frazier, Peter Gerety as Commissioner Pete Harkin

I really enjoyed this film and disagreed with the critics...

[brmanuk · 7/10 · 15 April 2008]

...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.

***/*****

A charming, high-spirited winner that, nevertheless, is not the undisputed champion of football flicks

[inkblot11 · 7/10 · 5 April 2008]

Dodge Connolly (George Clooney, God's gift to women on planet earth) is an aging football player in 1925. His team, the Duluth Bulldogs, succeeds mainly on Dodge's roster of trick plays. Unfortunately, professional football is under-appreciated in the 1920's and the Bulldogs are about to fold. However, Dodge gets the brilliant idea that if the team could acquire former Princeton gridiron standout, Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), they could make the country take notice. Since Carter is also a war hero, tickets sales would increase dramatically. However, Carter's slick agent, C.C. (Jonathan Pryce) insists on a big portion of the profits for his client's services. Dodge and company agree to the terms and everyone benefits. The country does change its attitude and fans begin to flock to the stadiums. But, in Chicago, a newspaper editor gets the scoop that Carter's war hero status may be questionable. He sends his ace reporter, Lexie (Renee Zellweger) to uncover the truth. As soon as the lovely Lexie hits the scene, both the younger Carter and the older Dodge take notice. Who will win her heart, even as she secretly plots to undermine the Bulldogs success with the skinny on Carter's "Sergeant York" reputation? This is a charming, high-spirited film that will entertain most audiences, football lovers or not. Naturally, the stars are a big reason for the movie's success, for Clooney and Zellweger are the cream of Hollywood. More on that later. But, the lesser players here are very fine, with Krasinski just wonderful as the football hero and Pryce, especially, doing a great turn as an in-this-for-me agent. All other supporting cast members, although unknowns, are utter perfection. As a re-creation of the times, the film succeeds very well, as the costumes, sets and other assets are notably terrific. If there are any faults to the film, it is the uneven script and, yes, the direction. Clooney has proved he is a great director (please see Good Night and Good Luck) but he seems to have used too tentative a hand in this one. (Forgive me, George, for I adore you). The result is a nice story that probably could have been better. The editing, also, seems choppy at times. Then, too, Clooney is at fault, on occasion, with his direction of Zellweger and himself, as they both sporadically appear to be either trying too hard or not enough. Yet, as Gilda Radner used to say, "nevermind!" This is a flick that will please its audience every time, as it is, in the final analysis, clean, goodhearted fun for all. Do make time for Leatherheads. It is a crowd pleaser that makes all of the big plays, even as it occasionally fumbles the smaller ones.

I sat there like a stone ...

[DSStarsiak · 2/10 · 11 April 2008]

I 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.

Fun and easy viewing.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 9 July 2021]

If you are in the mood for a film which is simply fun and mindless, "Leatherheads" is a good choice. It's a fictional story of the early days of professional football, a sport pretty much seen as, at best, third rate in the 1920s. It's also a decent choice as a date film, as in addition to sports, it has a bit of comedy and a bit of romance.

The story is about the Duluth Bulldogs, a team which played in front of mostly empty fields. However, when the team leader, Dodge Connelly (George Clooney), comes up with a plan to boost attendance, it's a huge hit. The team is able to convince a war hero, Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), to leave college football to play for the Bulldogs. Instantly, the team is hot and they start winning. But there are two problems heading their way....a nosy reporter (Renée Zellweger) who is out to expose Carter to be a fraud AND Carter's decision to leave Duluth to play for Chicago. What's next? See the film.

The story is a bit underdeveloped...especially the 'big game' at the end of the film (WHY was it so important???)....but the film had a light mood and a few laughs that really made viewing fun even if it didn't always make a ton of sense. Plus, I do appreciate the hellish working conditions the actors played in at the end of the movie...the actors were very game.

By the way, if you see the movie you might think having a black player on the team was an anachronism, but there were 9 black players in the league during the 1920s. Sadly, soon the league became white-only...but the color barrier was actually broken long before Jackie Robinson.

Makes You Wish This Had Actually Been a Screwball Comedy from the 30s with Different Actors

[evanston_dad · 5/10 · 31 October 2008]

George Clooney was clearly trying for screwball nostalgia with this sports comedy, but what he actually put together sits on the screen like a lump of lead.

Clooney stars as a professional football player back in the days (1920s) when no one cared much for professional football. As an attempt to bring some attention and fans to the sport, he cajoles a popular war hero and college football star (college football happens to be the rage) to go pro. Eventually, the two become rivals when the college star transfers to an opposing team. Meanwhile, the editor of a newspaper learns that the war hero's story is a fraud, and sends out a feisty reporter (Renee Zellweger) to expose him.

All of these ingredients are meant to mix into an antic romp, and Clooney, Zellweger and John Krasinski (who plays the war hero) try their damnedest to be madcap, mugging shamelessly at the camera at every opportunity. But the movie grinds along painfully, and you can practically see the sweat beading on the actors' brows as they work overtime to make the material funny. Krasinski is miscast as an all-American war hero; there's something a little too bookish and dopey about him to make him believable. And Clooney and Zellweger have absolutely no romantic chemistry -- they're given roles that, say, Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck would have played if this were a screwball comedy from the 1930s, but they work up no heat and deliver almost no laughs.

No expense was spared on the period look of the film, and Randy Newman for once provides a tolerable and playful score, but everything else about the film is a dud.

Grade: C

Leatherheads Entertains, But Ultimately Fizzes

[bulletproofclod · 8/10 · 7 April 2008]

While the dialog is clever and the acting is up to par, the mix of sports and romance ultimately falls flat. The legitimizing of football in the 1920's is the main plot point, with Clooney's Dodge Connelly attempting to popularize it through recruiting war hero turned college football phenomenon, Carter Rutherford, played by Krasinski.

The plot thickens when an officer who fought alongside Rutherford claims that the golden-boy's actions during the war are less than heroic.

Zellweger's ambitious Lexie Littleton doggedly pursues the truth behind the tall tales, all the while being pursued by the meant-to-be charming football has-been Connelly and the bright eyed Rutherford, who's reputation she is meant to dismantle. While Zellwegger looks the part of a '20's bombshell, Littleton is little more than an instigating character meant to stir up rivalry and trouble.

Though Littleton and Connelly's repartee is meant to mirror that of classic characters, she remains a shadow of prior female protagonists and never comes fully into her own. Her wavering affections for Rutherford and Connelly do not fit into the classic feminine archetype she was meant to embody.

While Clooney's smooth-talking Connelly was written with the intent of being charming, his actions oftentimes appear more arrogant than anything else. He is an unabashed trickster both on and off the field, but instead of coming off as an artful beguiler, he instead appears dishonest and at times unworthy.

Krasinski's Rutherford is by far the most charming and likable character in the film; his aw-shucks demeanor is disarmingly enchanting.

While Rutherford was built up as a rival for the aging Connelly, it is difficult to perceive in what way they are meant to compete with each other. He is stuck in a lie that snowballed into epic proportions, and his naiveté shows when he is genuinely wounded by Littleton's betrayal.

The remotely villainous CC Frazier, played by Jonathan Pryce, is an amusing feature of the film. His immoral approach to business and his eager desire to take advantage of the talent of others, namely Rutherford, shows a different and less promising side to the professionalizing of football.

While the conflict between Rutherford and Connelly appears somewhat stilted, the banter between the two is unequaled throughout the film. Most of the truly funny moments are between the two, honoring slapstick bits made famous in early cinema.

Randy Newman's swinging score is jazzy and jaunty, adding light excitement and highlights the screwiest scenes.

The Mention, and the ignoring of, prohibition also added legitimacy to the film, leading to an entertaining old-fashioned police chase involving Littleton and Connelly.

The football scenes were initially exciting, with Connelly's dupes and playing dirty rallying the spirit of football and Rutherford's clean and direct approach offering an interesting parallel. However, the final game is rather anticlimactic.

What was meant to be the pivotal scene in the football game was dissatisfying and confusing, using old suspense-building clichés to mount a weak scene. The final game was meant to be dull in order to put across Connelly's assertion that the rules of football ruin the game, but nonetheless it results in disappointment.

The costume designs, including the old-fashioned football uniforms and Littleton's various old time dresses make one feel as if they are taking a look back into the past, as does the beautiful cinematography.

"Leatherheads," is entertaining and fun, but its attempt to emulate the past genre ends up ultimately dissatisfying.

Just barely likable enough.

[SmileysWorld · 6/10 · 8 October 2008]

Whenever 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.

Longest 2 hours of my life

[Corinna_Bella · 1/10 · 6 May 2009]

I was surprised to see the very generous rating on IMDb. This honestly is the worst film i have watched in my entire life. It was so slow and lifeless that i actually started making up other stories in my head to help make the time pass faster.

Im not a high maintenance film watcher - ill happily sit through the most basic Rom com to an espionage film with constant twists and turns, to ... well you get the picture. My tastes are well rounded and easy to please.

Renee looked like she had just sucked on a lemon in every scene. Her accent was terrible and acting worse. Im a huge fan of Bridget Jones and its tongue in cheek humour and her good portrait of the character so had some expectations (not particularly high) of how this movie would be. It didn't even deliver on those moderate expectations.

If you have nothing to do this afternoon i suggest you save your $10 and watch paint dry or something equally more exciting than sitting through this film