Leatherheads DVD Review

By Kam Williams

Clooney's Screwball Football Comedy Comes to DVD

It is the height of the Roaring Twenties, the decade which signaled the introduction of professional football in the American heartland. And this is where we meet Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly (George Clooney), the owner/captain/coach of the Duluth Bulldogs.

While most folks fail to see much of a future in a game played on turnip fields by farmers and shell-shocked veterans, Dodge can already envision the fledgling league's potential as a popular spectator sport.

Plus, the aging star is still a kid at heart, who would rather continue playing indefinitely than make any concessions to Father Time.

But with his Bulldogs enjoying more of a reputation for brawling in speakeasies than for greatness on the gridiron, they find themselves without a sponsor and teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. So, in order to save his team from financial collapse, Connelly comes up with an inspired idea to bolster his flagging franchise's box-office receipts.

The plan is to offer a record-setting contract to Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), provided the Princeton University sensation is willing to abandon his plans to attend law school and turn pro. Carter signs up and, the plot thickens when both he and boss fall for Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger), attractive reporter.

Written and directed by George Clooney, Leatherheads is an old-fashioned screwball comedy cut from the mold of a Preston Sturges farce. Half slapstick, half romantic romp, the picture is at its best when serving up witty repartee between Clooney and Renee Zellweger.

If only the rest of the script measured up to their inspired exchanges, the movie might have amounted to something more than a momentary diversion. Instead, what we have is a pleasant period piece harking back to days of yore, but one so superficial that it's likely to be forgotten as soon as it's over

Good (2 stars)
Rated PG-13 for brief profanity.
Running time: 114 minutes
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, visual effects sequences, feature commentary by George Clooney and producer Grant Heslov, "The Making of" and a couple of other featurettes.

To see a trailer for Leatherheads,