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

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 18

3:05 AM

MAX

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) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | UK:PG | 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:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The job placement worker asks Dodge if he learned a trade while he served in the war, then rhetorically asks how has he earned a living in the last 20 years without a marketable skill. The war ended 7 years before the story takes place.

Quotes:

Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly: [looking at Carter's plays] I guess I should get a couple of diagrams of the plays we run.
Carter Rutherford: Sure. Yeah. These are a lot like your plays, only a little more... effective.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-04-05)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Tiger Rag

Likable Period-Piece...!

I saw Leatherheads today, despite the negative comments here at IMDb. On the whole, I agree with the 'movie-guy: Doug' who ventured that this is a "slapstick comedy that is cute and enjoyable to watch". I'd add that this is a comedic period-piece, which is pleasant and witty, rather than hilarious and knee-slapping (if you want to get technical). It offers excellent sets, costumes and characterizations typical of the Roaring 20's when Newspapers were godlike, and Radio was just unfolding.

It's (loosely) about Pro Football in the 20's. The message is that the game was rough, poorly-regulated and messy! (No wonder Baseball was America's game!) College players fared better, with fervent fan support and well-tended fields of play -- but after College, great players packed it up and got real jobs (or switched to baseball, I guess). In this story, George Clooney hopes to boost the fortunes of his floundering Toledo Pro team by recruiting a college superstar (and reported war-hero), played by John Krasinski. Renée Z. is the ace reporter dispatched to get the goods on the football hero's military service record.

The film was reminiscent of the 1988 film '8 Men Out' in doing a great job of recreating the look and feel of that era. However, '8 Men Out' was based upon a real life incident and a fabulous book. 'Leatherheads' was a story one IMDb contributor says George Clooney carried around in his pocket for 20 years. So, I'd agree that the storytelling and comedy bits of the screenplay are lacking a bit. However, George does fine as a Director and Performer -- I don't buy that comedy isn't 'his thing' - he was sparkling in 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou' and 'Intolerable Cruelty' (ahhhhh, but those were Coen Brothers scripts, which showed what George could do with a real creative team behind him). Also, it looked like the cast had a hoot making this thing -- to be honest, if the DVD has lots of bloopers and special features, that alone might induce me to pick it up in 2009.

I quite enjoyed the film, but, then, I like period pieces, especially those about the Jazz Age (8 Men Out, Great Gatsby and the Sting are in my Top-20). Nice soundtrack by Randy Newman here, too. This was witty and pleasant to watch. And PG-13 comedies that are NOT about singles dating morons or kids with three dads, or sperm donors (the Previews at our matinée today) are in very short supply these days.

Might add that Renée was quite charming in the manner of a glamor girl of the Jazz Age, with soft blonde hair and strategic use of red lipstick to produce that perfect 'kissy' smile! Pete Gerety, a veteran character player, chips in with a nice spot as a new Football Commissioner. I recognized Gerety as the smooth-talking oil baron 'Lee Janus' in another Clooney project, Syriana.

7/10 - canuckteach

btw: The NFL really didn't get rolling as a major diversion until NFL Films made it a TV legacy in the late 60's. (In the 50's, it was viewed in crummy black and white with those ugly-duckling 4-poster goalposts).