Leatherheads

Theatrical Release Date: 2008 04 04 (USA)

UPC: 025195042116

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Profanity]

Summary: Good Night, and Good Luck director George Clooney pulls double duty once again in this sports-oriented romantic comedy set against the formation of professional football in the 1920s. Dodge Connelly (Clooney) is a brash and handsome gridiron giant who is equally comfortable leading his team in a barroom brawl or charging for a touchdown in a packed stadium. But when Connelly's team loses their sponsor and the entire league appears set to collapse, the quick-thinking jock attempts a creative late-game comeback. If Connelly can convince former college football star and decorated war hero Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski) to join the team, there may be hope for the ill-fated team after all. Back in World War I, Rutherford single-handedly forced the surrender of multiple German soldiers -- a feat that firmly established the dashing young soldier as America's favorite son. Not only that, but Rutherford's unparalleled speed makes him a valuable asset to the team. To cub reporter Lexie Littleton (Ren?e Zellweger), Rutherford seems simply too good to be true, and she's determined to prove that her theory is correct. As Littleton digs deep into Rutherford's past, the two teammates enter into a fierce competition for her erratic affections. Now, as Connelly's plan begins to work better than he ever could have anticipated, the rowdy sport he always loved starts to take on a whole new look and feel. In the midst of holding his team together and simultaneously charming the girl of his dreams, Connelly discovers he may be able to use the same strategies he does to win on the field to win in love. Of course, there might be a few fouls as this game enters the fourth quarter, but like every good player, Connelly knows the value of always having a secret play to fall back on before the final score is called. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Features: Feature commentary with director George Clooney and producer Grant Heslov

Leatherheads

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 09/23/2008

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Theater Systems

Runtime: 114 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Perry Seibert

The Coen Brothers understand better than anyone how to direct George Clooney for maximum comedic impact. In the underrated Intolerable Cruelty and the cult classic O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Clooney brings an undeniable level of suavity to the proceedings that not only sends up his own public persona, but captures the spirit of classic screwball farces. Sadly, with his football comedy Leatherheads, Clooney the director gets in the way of Clooney the actor. The script, while not nearly as structurally sound as the old films Clooney and company are attempting to invoke, does offer enough snappy dialogue that the right cast should be able to make large portions of it sing. And these actors are mostly up to the task. There is a fine line between acting broadly and mugging, and Clooney crosses that line on a few occasions, while Ren?e Zellweger deftly captures the spirit of Rosalind Russell, and John Krasinski gives a savvy spin to most of his dialogue with a relaxed but pointed delivery. Sadly, the dialogue scenes are slackly edited. There is dead air between the lines and the comedy evaporates into that void. The words are funny, but the timing squashes the laughter. Even still, the appealing actors and the unique setting make it easy to forgive the film's faults, at least during the first half of the movie. Even with its persistently faulty pacing, you keep hoping it will get better. As a director, Clooney's topic of choice has thus far always been the power and influence of the media. Growing up in a family that made its living in the public eye obviously formed his outlook, and his first film, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, was very much about what living in show business, on the edge of reality and fantasy, can do to someone's mental health. Later, his fantastic Good Night, and Good Luck. offered a concise exploration of media and politics feed off each other. If Clooney could have gotten these themes out of his system for just one film, Leatherheads should have been it. Instead, he saddles this comedy with a serious subplot about how the media creates heroes, and while that is certainly an interesting topic, neither the direction nor the script are savvy enough to fuse this with the screwball elements. In the last half of the film, Clooney stops the laughs to make points about the nature of celebrity, and that decision buries what the film had going for it. George Clooney is a fine, thoughtful director, and one of the few actors of his era who brings to mind the charms of Hollywood's golden age. But Leatherheads shows that those two aspects of his personality do not coexist so peacefully, making it both a disappointment and an object of remarkable interest for those who keep wondering what makes the man tick. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast and Crew: George Clooney  Director 
Grant Heslov  Producer 
Randy Newman  Composer (Music Score) 
Sydney Pollack  Executive Producer 
Jeffrey Silver  Executive Producer 
Bobby Newmyer  Executive Producer 
Casey Silver  Producer 
Rick Reilly  Screenwriter 
Barbara Hall  Executive Producer 
Duncan Brantley  Screenwriter 
George Clooney  Actor 
Renée Zellweger  Actor 
John Krasinski  Actor 
Jonathan Pryce  Actor 
Peter Gerety  Actor 
Jack Thompson  Actor 
Stephen Root  Actor 
Wayne Duvall  Actor 
Keith Loneker  Actor 
Robert Baker  Actor 
Matt Bushell  Actor 
Tommy Hinkley  Actor 
Nick Paonessa  Actor 
Max Casella  Actor 
Mike O'Malley  Actor 
Heather Goldenhersh  Actor 
Marian Seldes  Actor 

Country: USA