Leatherheads (2008)

A ramshackle American football team in 1920s Kentucky turns to their struggling coach, Jimmy ‘Dodge’ Connolly (George Clooney) to find the solution which could lead to them finally turning pro.
Connolly chooses to enlist a star college player, Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski) but quickly regrets his decision as the two become locked in battle for the affections of hot-shot reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger).

So far, so Hollywood, but to dismiss Leatherheads as a typical rom-com would be a disservice to the direction of Clooney, helming a film for the second time following the success of Good Night and Good Luck.

Whilst the story is unlikely to linger long in the memory, Leatherheads shows such genuine affection for its setting and period that it rises above its simple premise.
The film is beautifully shot and lit with a golden hue that clearly evokes the innocence of the 1920s, whilst the film’s gentle comedy and slapstick never grates.

The chemistry between Clooney and Zellweger sometimes falters, with the latter struggling with the comedic tone of the film, but Clooney holds back enough surprises in the film’s second half to keep the audience watching.

Raised in Kentucky himself, Leatherheads marks Clooney out as a surprisingly personal film director and suggests he may have a more interesting future behind the camera than in front of it.

Release Date: 18 August 2008 
Director: George Clooney
Starring: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger
Running Time: 109 mins (approx)
Certificate: PG
Language: English
Subtitles: English For The Hearing Impaired ; German ; Arabic ; Danish ; Dutch ; Finnish ; Hungarian ; Icelandic ; Norwegian ; Polish ; Swedish ; Turkish

Alistaire Kleebauer