Leatherheads [DVD]

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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 Product Description Comedy, in the 'screwball' style of the 1930s, directed by and starring George Clooney. Set in the 1920s, the film stars Clooney as Dodge Connolly, a brazen yet charming American Football captain who is determined to guide his team to glory. However, his plans suffer a major blow when the players lose their sponsor and the future of the entire league is subsequently thrown into doubt. But when Dodge convinces college football star Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski) to join the team, he hopes that the struggling new sport will finally capture the nation's attention. Carter is a war hero who single-handedly forced a group of German soldiers to surrender in the First World War. His good looks and incredible speed on the field make him seem almost too good to be true, and reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) sets out to prove just that.