Anyone who has seen O Brother, Where Art Thou? knows George Clooney can be a comedic actor – or at least when he’s in a Coen Brothers movie. In his latest, Leatherheads, Clooney has his funny moments as an actor but falls on his face as a director.
In 1925, college football reigned over other American sports. The film opens with images of a college stadium full of thousands of screaming fans cheering on a play. It is immediately juxtaposed with the world of professional football at that time, which consisted of a few men chasing around a dingy ball on an empty field, their only spectator a grazing cow.
Dodge Connelly (Clooney, Michael Clayton) is a member of one of the many almost-broke pro-football teams in 1925. When the team finally declares bankruptcy, Connelly has to try to persuade Princeton football stud and World War I hero Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski, License to Wed and The Office) to play for them to legitimize the sport.
But pesky female reporter (the only job ladies seem to have in the ’20s, according to period films) Lexie Littleton (Renée Zellweger, Bee Movie) thinks Rutherford is just a little too perfect and decides to do some snooping. She, Dodge and Carter immediately form a love triangle, which tries to play off the fact that Dodge is the middle-aged sports veteran, Carter is the young star and Lexie falls somewhere in between.
The only thing comedic about this, however, is that in the year that Zellweger has been absent from the screen (aside from providing a voice in Bee Movie) she seems to have aged considerably and doesn’t quite fit the role of sexy love interest anymore.
Furthermore, the loss of Zellweger’s fake British accent (once so present in Bridget Jones’s Diary) is accompanied by the loss of any comedic talents she could have once claimed. Since her character is the only element that even attempts to contribute to the romantic comedy portion of the film, the fact that Zellweger’s timing and chemistry are both absent is a noticeable oversight.
Clooney’s charming ways are ever present, even as he reaches the point in his career where he is poking fun at his own increasing age. He more than holds his own against up-and-comer Krasinski, who has about as much charm in his whole body as Clooney does in his thick head of salt and pepper hair.
While Jim may have been the only one for Pam, he is still not up to the challenge of wooing leading ladies from the silver screen. One scene where his usually sober character is seduced by the siren song of bootlegged hooch is particularly pleasing, but otherwise the intended charm of Carter is lost on the audience.
Clooney’s on-key facial expressions and one-liners are the reason for most of the laughs during the film, and his involvement in ’20s shenanigans such as speakeasy fights or running from the cops during a raid are just as amusing.
Some real hidden gems from the film come from character actors such as Coach Frank (Wayne Duvall, In the Valley of Elah) and Suds (Stephen Root, Drillbit Taylor), the alcoholic sports journalist whose articles are actually ghost-written by Dodge. Coach Frank is hilarious in his moments of gross over-enthusiasm, and Suds is a lovable drinker who usually seems lost and confused (perhaps helped by his constantly carried flask).
Overall, however, Leatherheads cannot decide what it would rather be: a funny sports movie, a period film or a romantic comedy. Instead of making one of those elements believable, all three fumble over each other. Clooney’s first attempt at a lead role in a movie he also directs ends up as a good attempt, but in the end, a disappointing loss.
courtney.pomeroy@yahoo.com
RATING: 2.5 STARS OUT OF 5
