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Amazon.co.uk Review
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, legitimise professional football. Little does Connelly know that Rutherford's war record is being scrutinised by reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) and what she uncovers may undermine the whole scheme. Leatherheads isn't seamless--at times the screwball flavour feels forced and Zellweger's performance is laboured--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 neighbourhood, and that's a pretty wonderful neighbourhood to be in. --Bret Fetzer
Synopsis
George Clooney directs and stars in this romantic comedy set in 1925. Clooney plays an aging football star with dreams of bringing his team pro who sets all his hopes on a promising young player (John Krasinski, The Office) whose story may or may not be true.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A big name cast hones their passing game in this funny romantic comedy based on the humble beginnings of professional football. (And by football I'm referring to the American game where you hardly ever get to hit the ball with your foot)
Renee Zellweger matches George Clooney scene for scene and zinger for zinger, and for the most part the best of the action is between these two instead of on the field. Defense and offense are handled nicely by John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce and Stephen Root.
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
1. Tackles, passes, fumbles, fouls, interceptions and cheap shots abound in the movie, and some of them are even on the playing field.
2. Dodge Connelly (Clooney) doggedly and pugnaciously leads the Duluth Bulldogs, even though he ought to be put out to stud.
3. When the league runs out of starch, he gets an idea to recruit a new top dog named Carter (Krasinski), who just happens to be a war hero.
4. As legend has it, Carter single handedly captured a whole platoon of German soldiers, using his bare hands.
5. Reporter Lexie (Zellweger) is out to do a little investigative reporting, and ends up receiving double coverage
6. The introduction of rules ruins pro-football for ever
7. The odds are even that it all comes down to one big game
8. Extra points must be awarded for those tight ends
A most enjoyable period movie, with all the mud-slinging that accompanied the introduction of a rulebook for the gridiron. Worth touching down at the DVD store.
Amanda Richards
Renee Zellweger matches George Clooney scene for scene and zinger for zinger, and for the most part the best of the action is between these two instead of on the field. Defense and offense are handled nicely by John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce and Stephen Root.
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
1. Tackles, passes, fumbles, fouls, interceptions and cheap shots abound in the movie, and some of them are even on the playing field.
2. Dodge Connelly (Clooney) doggedly and pugnaciously leads the Duluth Bulldogs, even though he ought to be put out to stud.
3. When the league runs out of starch, he gets an idea to recruit a new top dog named Carter (Krasinski), who just happens to be a war hero.
4. As legend has it, Carter single handedly captured a whole platoon of German soldiers, using his bare hands.
5. Reporter Lexie (Zellweger) is out to do a little investigative reporting, and ends up receiving double coverage
6. The introduction of rules ruins pro-football for ever
7. The odds are even that it all comes down to one big game
8. Extra points must be awarded for those tight ends
A most enjoyable period movie, with all the mud-slinging that accompanied the introduction of a rulebook for the gridiron. Worth touching down at the DVD store.
Amanda Richards
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
George Clooney tackles the comparisons that have been made between him and Cary Grant head on in this period comedy, by not just directing but starring in exactly the sort of screwball comedy that made Grant a star. It's debatable whether he should have tried, as the end result does not quite fire on all cylinders - but it's still worth a watch.
It's clear from the first moment of the movie when we see a sepia toned vintage Universal logo instead of the usual spinning planet, that Clooney is going all out to homage the movies that they used to make in `the good old days'. What becomes apparent as the movie goes on, is that he is also making a movie about the origins of professional football, as it goes from poor boy of college football to rich money-driven sport. As director, he succeeds admirably in the vintage setting, and the picture looks lush and beautifully shot, even as the players splash in the mud. As actor, he scrapes through on his undeniable charm, but there is a nagging feeling that he is trying just a little hard to create those Cary-Grant-esque moments at times with his gurning and double takes. He is hardly helped by Renee Zellwegger, whose idea of appearing in a period movie is to purse her lips as much as possible, and gradually relax them to indicate her character mellowing... Sorry to say, she does not on this outing match any of the great stars like Katherine Hepburn, Carole Lombard or Jean Harlow who defined the genre, but her fans will not be too disappointed.
The American professional football aspect of the film fares much better - we are not overloaded with sport on screen, but see enough to get an idea of the changes happening in the sport, and what we do see helps us feel in the thick of it. The atmosphere of the time is often palpable, and in pace and story content this aspect of the movie works well, helped by some terrific supporting actor performances... Peter Gerety as the new commissioner of the sport is a treat, and Jonathan Pryce as the scheming agent is good value too.
In fact, the look of the movie, and the tone of the story, along with some wonderful one liners, make the movie worth watching. On Blu-ray in particular the picture is immaculate. One just wonders if Clooney did himself any favours by comparing himself to the greats so directly, as both actor and director.
It's clear from the first moment of the movie when we see a sepia toned vintage Universal logo instead of the usual spinning planet, that Clooney is going all out to homage the movies that they used to make in `the good old days'. What becomes apparent as the movie goes on, is that he is also making a movie about the origins of professional football, as it goes from poor boy of college football to rich money-driven sport. As director, he succeeds admirably in the vintage setting, and the picture looks lush and beautifully shot, even as the players splash in the mud. As actor, he scrapes through on his undeniable charm, but there is a nagging feeling that he is trying just a little hard to create those Cary-Grant-esque moments at times with his gurning and double takes. He is hardly helped by Renee Zellwegger, whose idea of appearing in a period movie is to purse her lips as much as possible, and gradually relax them to indicate her character mellowing... Sorry to say, she does not on this outing match any of the great stars like Katherine Hepburn, Carole Lombard or Jean Harlow who defined the genre, but her fans will not be too disappointed.
The American professional football aspect of the film fares much better - we are not overloaded with sport on screen, but see enough to get an idea of the changes happening in the sport, and what we do see helps us feel in the thick of it. The atmosphere of the time is often palpable, and in pace and story content this aspect of the movie works well, helped by some terrific supporting actor performances... Peter Gerety as the new commissioner of the sport is a treat, and Jonathan Pryce as the scheming agent is good value too.
In fact, the look of the movie, and the tone of the story, along with some wonderful one liners, make the movie worth watching. On Blu-ray in particular the picture is immaculate. One just wonders if Clooney did himself any favours by comparing himself to the greats so directly, as both actor and director.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Leatherheads is one of the most enjoyable films of the year. It's both a homage to football before it became big business and to 30s/40s comedies. The chemistry between Zellweger and Clooney works fine nad they have some great scenes together both in terms of comedy and unsentimental romance. The film is well written, perfect timing and an altogether nice balance of elements. I particularly liked how Clooney poked gentle fun at his own age. Visually, Leatherheads is one of the most elegant films I have ever seen with a dominance of warm colours. The costumes are absolutely awesome. Randy Newman yet again delivers a superb soundtrack (and a delightful cameo experience
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Now I understand the title!
I liked this movie. I know a lot of film enthusiasts are wary of what are often called actors' vanity projects and it is true, George Clooney acts, directs and produces on... Read more
Published on 3 May 2010 by Blue Hermit
leatherheads
Not one of his most successful films but a good film none the less. I find George clooney to be a very under rated actor with some gems up his sleeve, this being one. Read more
Published on 12 April 2010 by Bloodlessprout2
Clean and healthy
This film was clean and healthy, though not that good a film, but also not rubbish either. Story was ok, some funny bits in it and lots of mud in the American football fields and... Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2008 by Prolific Reader
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