Leatherheads [WS]

Director: George Clooney George Clooney

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/23/2008
UPC:	0025195012935
Original Release:	2008
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:54:00

Special Features

Deleted scenes; Football's Beginning: The making of Leatherheads; No Pads, No Fear: Creating the rowdy football scenes; George Clooney: A leatherhead prankster; Visual effects sequences; Feature commentary with Director George Clooney and producer Grant Heslov

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

George Clooney	Dodge Connolly
Renée Zellweger	Lexie Littleton
John Krasinski	Carter Rutherford
Stephen Root	Suds
Jonathan Pryce	C.C. Frazier
Wayne Duvall	Coach Ferguson
Peter Gerety	Commissioner
Keith Loneker	Big Gus
Malcolm Goodwin	Bakes
Matt Bushell	Curly
Tommy Hinkley	Hardleg
Tim Griffin	Ralph
Robert Baker	Stump
Nick Paonessa	Zoom
Nicholas Bourdages	Bug
Bill Roberson	Mr. Dunn
Mark Teich	Joe
Christian Stolte	Pete
Jack Thompson	Harvey
Randy Newman	Piano Player,Composer
Max Casella	Mack Steiner
J.D. Cullum	Leonard
Mike O'Malley	Mickey
Dylan Kussman	Soldier Frank
Ryan Shively	Corporal Jack
Mert Hatfield	Mayor
Jeremy Ratchford	Eddie
Grant Heslov	Saul Keller
David DeVries	Princeton Reporter
Rick Forrester	Princeton Reporter
Craig Harper	Princeton Reporter
Lance Barber	Toledo Referee
Jason Drago	Toledo Player
Windy Wenderlich	Conductor
Marian Seldes	Clerk
Thomas Murphy	Cook
Randy H. Farmer	Foreman
George Nannarello	Duluth Reporter
Dave Hager	Duluth Reporter
Danny Vinson	Duluth Reporter
Tom Glynn	Newspaper Man
Kyle Nudo	German Soldier
Tom Huff	Writer/Photographer
Heather Goldenhersh	Belinda/Flapper
Michael Scott	Athletic Club Trainer,Band/Horn Player
J. Todd Anderson	Man in Pool
Ron Clinton Smith	Bouncer
Ledisi Young	Blues Singer
Marcus Gilmore	Band/Drummer
David Bryant	Band/Piano
Luques Curtis	Band/Bass
Dan John Miller	Desk Clerk
Scott Reynolds	Police Sergeant
John Vance	Suicidal Man
John McConnell	Bullhorn Fireman
Rob Gorman	Speakeasy Soldier
Ted Huckabee	Speakeasy Soldier
Sharlene Thomas	Secretary
Craig A. Meyer	Chicago Reporter
Blake Clark	Chicago Referee
Patt Noday	Chicago Radio Announcer
David Pasquesi	Voiceover Announcer
Nick Toth	Voiceover Announcer

Technical Credits

Duncan Brantley

Rick Reilly

George Clooney	Director
Duncan Brantley	Screenwriter
Rick Reilly	Screenwriter
Casey Silver	Producer,Executive Producer
Grant Heslov	Producer
Ellen Chenoweth	Casting
George Aguilar	Stunts,Stunts
Kevin Hannigan	Special Effects
Sara Docksey	Special Effects
Thomas J. Smith	Special Effects
Barbara A. Hall	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Sydney Pollack	Executive Producer
Bob Beher	Sound Effects
Rick Canelli	Sound Effects
Bob Chefalas	Sound Effects
Susan Dudeck	Sound Effects
Bobby Newmyer	Executive Producer
Edward Tise	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

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 Renée 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.