This was advertised as a sports comedy, but leaned more towards being a drama; there was a mild amount of romance within it as well. The setting takes place in the year 1925 during the golden age of football, guys wearing leather helmets hence the name leatherheads. There are many different teams in this league; some of them are barely able to continue due to funds including the Duluth Bulldogs which this film centers around.
The film was written by both Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly. George Clooney steps behind the camera to direct this, and also stars as Jimmy ‘Dodge’ Connelly who tries to professionalize football with the celebrity help of Carter Rutherford played by John Krasinski a celebrated war hero and now player. Jonathan Pryce plays C.C. Frazier and is Carter’s agent of sorts; his shady dealings are what motivates him. Renée Zellweger plays news reporter Lexie Littleton from the Chicago Tribune newspaper and tries to get the real scoop on what’s happening. Wayne Duvall plays Coach Frank Ferguson and is a stereotypical type coach in the early scene of the new found sport.
The Bulldogs struggle to keep things together, falling to the pitfalls of alcohol and drinking (In 1919, the U.S. Congress passed the 18th Amendment, thus making the sale and distribution of alcohol illegal) which is where this film picks up afterwards. The team is made up of a motley crew of guys from all walks of life. The early days of the football game were very crude and vulgar, a lot of non sportsman like moments happened Clooney’s character Dodge was known for his on the field antics.
This will appeal to fans of the game and football nostalgia in general, it has many goofy moments in it, and it seems the cast and crew enjoyed themselves while filming this. For those who might have expected this to be an accurate historical look at football, this film isn’t that, but it does provide some merits for slapstick entertainment.
I think Clooney was trying to capture the yesteryear of the 1920′s, 1930’s and 1940’s. This film does have some accuracy to it and tries not to take itself too seriously and neither should you while you watch this one. So in summary, there is a scandal, a romance and some football bloopers to see. It might not appeal to everyone, and has a niche type audience appeal. Some people might also enjoy seeing the costumes, cars and even motorcycles which were used.
Leatherheads (2008) Review, 3.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating
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on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 12:51 pm and is filed under Comedy, Drama, Sports.
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Hey, nice writing. I enjoy reading your reviews.