{grate 3} The only predictable thing about a George Clooney film is
its ability to deliver. While some folks are able to cook or draw, Clooney has
always been able to bring in box office millions. So the “almost” award for
Clooney’s recent romantic comedy is more than a little surprising.
The Roaring ’20s are revived with remarkable accuracy in his
feel-good film “Leatherheads,” complete with ragtime (courtesy of
singer-songwriter and Oscar-winner Randy Newman), swing dancing and flapper
fashion. Centered around the Duluth Bulldogs, the story follows the rise of
professional football from rags to riches, thanks to the charming Dodge
Connelly (Clooney) and his college football star and World War I hero Carter
“the Bullet” Rutherford (“Office” star John Krasinski). Documenting the
adventure is Renee Zellweger as reporter Lexie Littleton (think “
Roxie Hart with a bit more sass and swagger to her step).
The film opens with a comparison between pro and college
football — including a hilarious bit with a cow. Frustrated with the deplorable
state of the pro game (not to mention his team’s almost negligible finances and
popularity), Connelly recruits public-favorite
to the team. Things go sour when
damning secret to
repaid by having it published in the Chicago Tribune.
switches teams, and the entire film climaxes with a football match between
Rutherford and Connelly.
Chock-full of witty banter and cleverly timed slapstick,
“Leatherheads” has plenty of chuckles and approving head nods; Clooney expertly
plays the quick-witted hero, a spitting image of Clark Gable, opposite the
equally sharp and seductive Zellweger, in a battle of the sexes reminiscent of
Frank Capra’s screwball classic “It Happened One Night.”
The fast-paced dialogue never loses a beat, only matched by
the action on the field. Krasinski is owed his dues as well as the naive and
loveable athlete. Football fanatics can also be assured of the film’s spot-on
precision with the early evolution of the pigskin matches (as much as a
modern-day fan can know about its origins), with sports writers Duncan Bradley
and Rick Reilly at the reins.
The football element is fused with a generous helping of
comedy and action, making it more a film of time, dialogue and character than a
mere history lesson. And the comedic element is cartoon-esque, with exaggerated
gestures and over-the-top facial expressions not unlike Charlie Chaplin.
The most fast-paced moment occurs off the field, during a
speakeasy raid where Zellweger and Clooney go through extreme measures to
escape the police, including disguising themselves as police officers and
jumping off a building.
Perhaps the most impressive element of “Leatherheads” is the
historical accuracy. Set director Jan Pascale teamed up with costume designer
Louise Frogley to create an unbeatable vintage feel — old-style hair and
clothes that create nostalgia for old-time fashion. Lipstick, cigarettes and
speakeasies: in a sentence, the film lives and breathes the Jazz Age.
But despite all it tries to be, there’s still an element of
heart-pounding excitement amidst overwhelming predictability. Of course,
everything falls into its right place — the hero gets the girl, the girl gets
to keep her looks, the antagonist gives up. The writers couldn’t have provided
a neater ending if they had wrapped it with a bow. And, while the film kicks
off hot and heavy, the comedic intensity fluctuates as much as Tyra Banks’
weight, allowing for serious dry spells.
“Leatherheads” will not be immortalized as one of Clooney’s
proudest moments, but the shortcomings are forgivable — the film might earn a
solid, almost, sort of, maybe, kind of good reputation.
