Leatherheads (Widescreen)
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Movie Reviews of Leatherheads (Widescreen)
Movie Review: You Don't Have to Be a Football Fan to Enjoy This Movie!
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed watching "Leatherheads" as it contained good acting by all cast members, wonderful costuming, great cinematography, witty dialogue and good storyline/screenplay.
The only downside was that it was a slowing moving movie overall. Otherwise a very well down movie. I enjoyed the fact that you didn't have to be a football fan to enjoy watching "Leatherheads".
Movie Review: Average football flick
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm no fan of football, and believe me, it's not for lack of trying. I want to be that guy who has the team football jersey, can rattle off the names of various players of numerous teams, have a fantasy football habit, and be able to toss the ol' pigskin in my backyard with friends. I've made myself sit down and watch it, and while I understand the game mechanics, I just can't seem to get into the game itself. Ironically, and for reasons I will never be able to understand or adequately explain, I really enjoy football movies though. Necessary Roughness, The Replacements, and Rudy are all great movies (among many others not listed here) and I really enjoy watching them.
That said "Leatherheads" is not your typical football movie. The film (which I'm assuming is a heavily fictionalized, if not outright made up, version of historical accounts) covers the creation of professional football in 1920's America. George Clooney is an aging football player who's having trouble holding his pro-team together as it seems to make no money. He comes up with the bright idea of hiring a college football star/war hero, played by John Krasinski of "The Office" fame, to generate interest in pro-football and bring in the big bucks. There's a subplot wherein Renee Zellweger's character, a newspaper reporter, wants to investigate Krasinski's war record and see if he really is the war hero he claims to be.
First off, if you're thinking this is going to be a movie about team building and working together to overcome adversity, look elsewhere. The actual game of football inhabits only a small fraction of the total film. In fact I think the audience gets to spend more time riding trains than anything else, but I digress. Clooney's character is witty and funny but beyond that he sort of meanders from scene to scene with no real objective than to hook up with Renee Zellweger's character. Successfully getting pro football started is more or less just a side benefit. I couldn't help but like Krasinski's character in the movie, who comes across as pretty likeable despite his being portrayed as an attention grabbing, big-shot celebrity. In fact the only thing I found a little disconcerting was his attraction to Zellweger's character, who is clearly *much* older than his own.
And then there's Renee Zellweger's character. I know that the movie producers wanted her to be the well liked heroine of the movie, but for me the effort failed pretty badly. I didn't like the fact that her character was singularly devoted to the destruction of a person with no real benefit to anyone. Why do it at all? Krasinski's character didn't steal the glory from someone else, nor did his actions end up harming anyone (in fact they saved a great deal of people's lives on both sides, even if it was an accident) so why destroy him? And that her character did all of this with a clear conscience bothered me that much more.
None of the other characters really gets enough face time to warrant mention, which is rather sad because this kind of movie really begs for it. There's no teamwork here at all...players gather on the field and play, and then they disperse at the end, and then predictably get on another train (lots of trains in this movie).
If I have to give points to Leatherheads it's for the excellent cinematography. The producers really spared no expense in convincing the audience that this film is set in the 1920's and really pulled it off. Between the art-deco and myriad Model-T's the movie was beautifully styled and had me pretty well convinced that that's what the 1920's looked like. This did not cross as well into the comedic aspects of the film, which I think were supposed to draw from Keystone Kops type slapstick of the era. The timing was right for the pratfalls and what not, but it just wasn't that funny. And sometimes I think they put extra scenes into the movie just to introduce another unfunny slapstick moment, such as the superfluous speakeasy chase in which Clooney and Zellweger meet for some adult beverages at an underground bar. The bar is busted up by the police and our heroes end up knocking out two police with a well-timed door slam, stealing their uniforms, and then end up getting pursued throughout the city for the better part of what felt like 20 minutes. It added nothing to the movie. In fact my wife and I were both somewhat surprised at the tenacity of the continued pursuit, given that it wasn't as if the heroes had robbed a bank or murdered anyone. But maybe that's just me.
The plot is very convoluted and I found myself wondering why characters were doing what they were doing since there was no real direction for the plot. Everyone meanders about the screen, and I'm no expert on filmmaking, but I have a hunch that this may have been *intentional*. Sigh. Overall I view Leatherheads as a movie that all but screams the word "mediocrity", and largely a symptom of the endless stream of average movies that Hollywood pumps out each year. C'mon Hollywood...there must be a better way.
Movie Review: A fumble...
Summary: 3 Stars
LEATHERHEADS is set back in 1925, during the early stages of American professional football. Except that pro football, back then, was considered the ugly cousin of college football, a sport which gloriously reigned supreme. However, once graduated from college, one is supposed to go and get a real grown-up job. For pro footballer Dodge Connelly (Clooney) and his rowdy ragtag bunch of Duluth Bulldogs, it's a life of irrelevance and being made much fun of. The Bulldogs once even had to forfeit a game when they, as the home team, couldn't provide a backup football. Oh, the shame...
But when Dodge learns that his team is about to go bust, he concocts a scheme to popularize the Bulldogs and, along the way, legitimize pro football. His big move is to recruit to Duluth celebrated American war hero turned college football star, Carter "the Bullet" Rutherford. And, sure 'nuff, this draws in the big crowds. And, because this is that kind of movie, into the picture sashays the sassy, fast-talking newspaper journalist dame. She's out to nab the dirty scoop on Rutherford, pro football's sudden golden goose. Shades of HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO! (see Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment)). Apparently, there's some doubt as to Rutherford's heroism in the war.
Reportedly, the script to this film had been floating around for decades, until George Clooney snatched it and reworked it and filmed it. But someone dropped the ball somewhere, and it could've been Clooney himself who did the oopsey. This is his third directing gig, which only proves that the third time is not necessarily the charm. Good actor that he is, witty and charming that he is, George Clooney has been in plenty of terrific flicks. But LEATHERHEADS has to be tossed onto his miniscule pile of clunkers. Clooney can hold his own in a drama or a thriller. And, certainly, he's starred in several comedies (One Fine Day, Intolerable Cruelty (Widescreen Edition), and the pretty great O Brother, Where Art Thou?). So why isn't LEATHERHEADS much better?
Don't play, I love screwball comedies. When it's done proper, screwball films are howlingly funny and even cathartic. LEATHERHEADS tries to angle for a screwball tone. George Clooney is engaging and funny as the lead. Renee Zellweger also brings it, even if I struggle to get past that weird, gone puffy face, and even if she and Clooney don't really register much of a chemistry. There's even someone relegated to that also-ran Ralph Bellamy role. But mostly LEATHERHEADS fails to get it right. It collapses under the weak jokes and gags and the repartee comprising of tired, hand-me-down stuff.
- Stuffy guy: "I didn't come over here to be insulted."
- Sassy girl reporter: "No? Where do you usually go?"
Snappy banter? Maybe many decades ago. And I got caught cringing when, in a painfully unfunny scene, George and Renee try to pass themselves off as cops to escape a bar raid. In indulging in so much poorly executed slapstick, the film loses its grounding; what should've have been a memorable sports backdrop loses much of its resonance. Clooney has claimed that Carter "the Bullet" Rutherford is loosely based on hall-of-famer Harold "Red" Grange, who not only was possibly American football's first superstar but who also touted one of my favorite nicknames, the Galloping Ghost. I was very curious to see how this rough-and-tumble gridiron sport, which featured men playing under harsh, rigorous conditions and gigged out only in flimsy padding and puny leather helmets, made the transition into something credible. So, going into LEATHERHEADS, I was raring to be bowled over and be wowwed. But, no.
Naturally, it all culminates in the Big Game, which provides possibly my favorite moment in the film. The only thing I'll say about it is that it involves the Sergeant York ploy. It's one of the few times I laughed.
There are echoes of Bull Durham (20th Anniversary Edition), what with the wily veteran giving way to the young star and, of course, the romantic triangle, two thirds of which are our two main athletes. But, in terms of quality, in richness and resonance and wit and dialogue, LEATHERHEADS is nowhere close to BULL DURHAM. LEATHERHEADS is fluff.
Movie Review: A Fun 1920s Football Comedy
Summary: 3 Stars
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
Movie Review: FUMBLE!
Summary: 3 Stars
There are two types of offensive philosophies in football: running and passing. Passing teams are full of action and danger, exciting in success and failure. Running teams, however don't really provide eye-catching performances; instead, they hope to grind down an opponent and be close enough to win the game with a late field goal. "Leatherheads", much like teams at the genesis of football, is a pure running attack.
In the mid 1920s football was only played on the college fields. With leather helmets and a dearth of rules, there was no future in professional football. Some men like Dodge Connelly (Clooney) wanted to change that. To do so, Dodge needed a niche. His first attempt was writing his own game reviews for the local paper. Soon, however, he'd have his golden goose. Lexi Littleton (Zellwegger) was a career-minded, sour-faced reporter who gets assigned to report on a war hero and college football star named Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford. When the worlds of Carter, Lexi, and Dodge converge, the opportunity for Dodge's epiphany was born.
From there it's a faux sports movie, a masquerade of masculinity, a love triangle in disguise, with semi-interesting drama interspersed with just enough football action to feel nostalgic empathy for the bumps and bruises brought on by bone crunching hits.
Superbly acted by all but Zellwegger - who was awkwardly bad as an ambitious, female sports reporter - and filmed beautifully, it's easy to get a feel for the era. Authenticity being key, the costume and set designers come off as the true stars of this movie. Otherwise, it's not remotely close to the blockbuster for which Clooney had hoped. The main problem I have is that it's another movie billed and promoted in the comedic sports genre. However, it's nowhere near an actual sports movie. If Leatherheads is a sports movie, then Blair Witch Project is a horror movie and Kids is a comedy.
I got the feeling that this movie was a little light on the script, and the folks in charge of production thought that the love for Clooney's charisma and Zellwegger's pout would be enough to win over the audience. Leatherheads disappoints because the attempt at romantic comedy being fused with pseudo-sports documentary fails to provide anything extremely interesting in either area, a broken play in which a lack of team cohesion restricts forward progress. Most people watching will desperately need a halftime performance to fight to the end, but like a Hail Mary, there's almost a near guarantee of failure.