Leatherheads (2008)

Director:

George Clooney

Writers (WGA):

Duncan Brantley (written by) &
Rick Reilly (written by)

Release Date:

4 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

In the beginning, the rules were simple. There weren't any.

Plot:

A romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s football, where the owner of a professional team drafts a strait-laced college sensation, only to watch his new coach fall for his fiancée.

Plot Keywords:

Stadium | 1920s | War Hero | Coach | Soldier

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

John Krasinski	...	Carter Rutherford
David de Vries	...	Princeton Reporter #1 (as David DeVries)
Rick Forrester	...	Princeton Reporter #2
Craig S. Harper	...	Princeton Reporter #3 (as Craig Harper)
George Clooney	...	Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly
Malcolm Goodwin	...	Bakes
Matt Bushell	...	Curly
Tommy Hinkley	...	Hardleg
Tim Griffin	...	Ralph
Robert Baker	...	Stump
Nick Paonessa	...	Zoom
Lance Barber	...	Toledo Referee
Wayne Duvall	...	Coach Frank Ferguson
Nicholas Bourdages	...	Bug
Jason Drago	...	Toledo Player

Also Known As:

Ein verlockendes Spiel (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:PG | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | UK:PG | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44052) | Germany:6 | Australia:PG | Netherlands:6 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:PG

Filming Locations:

Anderson, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Casey Silver Productions

Trivia:

The motorcycle that George Clooney rides is not a vintage motorcycle, but rather a custom-built electric-powered replica of a 1918 Indian motorcycle.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where they are leaving the commissioner's office, they get in an elevator and push a button to go to the ground floor. All elevators at that time had operators who controlled elevator movement. Push buttons did not come in to use until the 1950's.

Quotes:

Lexie Littleton: [about Belinda] Enchanting girl. I thought you had to be twenty-one to get into a place like this.
Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly: She *is* twenty-one.
Lexie Littleton: I meant her I.Q.
Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly: I wasn't planning on running her for Congress.
Lexie Littleton: No? What *were* you planning on doing with her?
Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly: You know, the usual.
Lexie Littleton: Put her in shoulder pads and a helmet and knock her brains out?
Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly: I think somebody beat me to it.
Lexie Littleton: She'll do well in Congress.
Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly: Well you're only as young as the women you feel.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Deadlands 2: Trapped (2008)

Soundtrack:

Toot Toot Tootsie Good-Bye

A slapstick comedy that is cute and enjoyable to watch

(Synopsis) Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly (George Clooney) is the team captain of the Bulldogs in the struggling pro football league in 1925. The entire pro football league is in danger of collapsing, one team at a time, and his team is next. Dodge gets an idea of saving the team by recruiting a college football star who fills the college stadium with over 45,000 cheering fans. With the lure of big money, Dodge is able to convince Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski) to drop out of college and join the team. Carter is not only a star football player who can outrun his completion, but he is also a national war hero of WWI who single-handedly captured a platoon of German soldiers. Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is a newspaper journalist assigned to get Carter's real inside story about the capture of the German soldiers. To get the story, Lexie must travel with the team, and in time, both Carter and Dodge fall for her. Only one will win her love as the fourth quarter comes to an end.

(My Comment) George Clooney not only starred in this slapstick comedy, he also directed it. The movie may not win any awards, but it is enjoyable to watch. Since the movie took place in 1925, the writers took us back to that time, and slapstick was the rule. If you let yourself go and get into the movie, you will actually get the feel of that era. George is very talented, but I don't think he has a flair for comedy. Renee Zellweger and George share a chemistry together that works well for this movie. You may think this is a chick flick, but you would be somewhat wrong. The love angle doesn't really get going until the end. You will love the way they play pro football with very few rules, especially, the last game that is played in the mud. This is a cute movie, and I know they had a lot of fun making it, because it shows. (Universal Pictures, Run Time 1:54, Rated PG-13)(7/10)