Dylan Boeddeker
Sports fans looking for a real history lesson may feel a bit left out, but “Leatherheads” provides a ton of entertainment.George Clooney directs the movie and stars as an aging pro football player named Dodge Connelly, who spearheads the Duluth Bulldogs. While it appears the pro football circuit is floundering and soon to fold, college football is thriving. This can be attributed to Princeton’s phenom, Carter “The Bullet” Rutherford (played by John Krasinski).Connelly believes that Rutherford and his fan base could bring a charge into professional football. On the way to meet with Rutherford and his snaky agent, CC Frazier, convincingly played by Jonathan Pryce, Connelly crosses the path of an eager reporter by the name of Lexie Littleton (played by Renée Zellweger). It just so happens Littleton is also in pursuit of Rutherford, but unlike Connelly, she is thirsting for a groundbreaking story.In a movie like this, it’s inevitable that Connelly, Rutherford and Littleton will be thrown into a PG-13 love triangle.When you see the same old faces in period pieces it can often be tiring, but the acting was surprisingly pleasing. Everybody was so well suited for their role and it appeared that they gave it their all. Clooney and Zellweger both played very unreluctant and headstrong characters, so the interactions between the two were amusing to say the least. Krasinski was also the perfect candidate to play this “American idol” who singlehandedly saved his squad in the war, came back to the states and became a superstar through collegiate athletics.In Clooney’s third movie direction, he sets the clock back and takes us to mid-1920s Midwest. The movie is very effective in establishing the era. The sets, styles and dialogue were believable and not too overdone. The delightful score from Randy Newman also aided this movie’s efforts to create a throwback to the “golden age” of movie making.Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly, of Sports Illustrated fame, wrote the movie. It’s surprising because there was more to the movie than a bunch of unruly, burly football players thrashing, clubbing and crashing into each other.”Leatherheads” brings more to the table than simple-minded, slapstick comedy. The film’s got that, but it takes a backseat.Football is definitely a big part of the movie, but the story does not solely revolve around it. There’s a great blend of comedy, drama and romance. The film is full of charm and it really does pay homage to the grand old movies of the ’30s and ’40s.The sportswriters took this movie another direction and it paid off. There are a few flaws, but overall the writing gives the film longevity and relevance.The next time I hear someone discussing the quality of an old movie say, “They don’t make movies like this anymore,” I’ll be quick to respond, “Yes…Yes, they do.”
Grade: B