The year is 1925, college football is the talk of the town and Princeton star (and war hero) Carter "Bullet" Rutherford (The Office's John Krasinski) is the toast of the town. Meanwhile, on the other side of the tracks (so to speak), professional football is floundering, teams are folding and everyone is running out of money, despite the best efforts of aging pro star Dodge Connelly (George Clooney, who also sits in the director's chair). The third piece of the puzzle is an up and coming reporter named Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger), sent to do a piece on Bullet, perhaps exposing his status as a war hero to be a less than truthful.
As our pieces come together, Dodge has an idea. His team has folded and the players have scattered to the winds, yet he holds onto his dream of playing professional ball, this is where that idea comes in. He spies Bullet on the television, recognizes his audience drawing power and plots to use that to help legitimize the sport. So, off he goes to lure Bullet to leave school and join the professional circuit. At the same time, Lexie arrives to begin work on her story, becoming a sports reporter as a by product. It is only a matter of time before the pieces fall into place, but what does the final picture look like? Watch and find out.
Leatherheads is a lot of fun, from the opening frame to the vintage appearance of the stills in the credits, this movie is flat out enjoyable. It is refreshing in its approach, successful in its execution, and there is no reason not to enjoy it. The performances are all first rate, in particular the effort from Clooney who can cock his head like no one else. He nails the performance. Meanwhile, Renee Zellweger proves to be simultaneously sexy and annoying, and is still successful at bringing Lexie to life. There are few actresses that are able to have that kind of effect, and she leads the pack. As for John Krasinski, this goes a long way towards erasing the misstep that was Licence to Wed. The supporting cast is also solid with work from the likes of Stephen Root and Jonathan Price.
George Clooney proves once again what a talent he is behind the camera. With only three films under his belt, he delivers another film that is very entertaining, of high quality, and marches to the beat of his own drum. He may be a big Hollywood name, but he knows how to make a quality film that doesn't fit the mold.
Another interesting note that came to light recently regarding the script, credited to Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly. George Clooney has parted ways with the WGA when the declined to give him credit. Clooney claims to have re-written all but two scenes from the original script, which was penned back in 1993. I am not sure if this will have any long-term ramifications, but I found it an interesting piece of news related to the film.
Bottomline. This movie was a blast. Laugh out loud funny, well acted, well directed, and well written. It lags a little at points, and the climax is not entirely satisfying, but there is absolutely nothing to make me dislike it. Rather, Leatherheads is a movie to be seen and enjoyed. It is something a little outside the norm and that is always a good thing.
Recommended.
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