Movie Info:
Writers: Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly
Director: George Clooney
Cast: George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Root, Wayne Duvall, Keith Loneker, Malcolm Goodwin, Matt Bushell, Tommy Hinkley, Tim Griffin, Robert Baker, Nick Paonessa, Nicholas Bourdages
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: April 4, 2008
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.99 Blu-Ray for $26.95
I was interested in seeing Leatherheads from the moment I saw the first promos for this movie. I like most of the movies that George Clooney is in and some of the movies that feature Renée Zellweger. I also like the vast majority of movies about sports, especially ones that verge on historical. The latter reason is the main reason I wanted to watch this movie.
While Leatherheads isn’t the greatest movie I’ve ever seen or even the greatest sports movie period, it is entertaining. I’m not a huge comedy fan. I’m more into sports dramas. Still, there is a certain charm about this film that made me compelled to watch it. I’m assuming that a major part of this is the excellent acting, because the actual script isn’t as strong as the acting warrants.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked this movie. The plot was quite strong in the beginning. It fizzled slightly in the middle, nearly stopped near the end, but picked up again to finish the movie off nicely. Despite the plot bumps, there was never a point where I wanted to turn the movie off. That being said, this isn’t a movie for every sport fan.
There is a certain kind of audience that is going to like Leatherheads. Luckily, I fit into this audience. Those who like George or Renée will want to check this out. Those who enjoy period style movies might just want to check this out. Those interested in sports comedies, especially comedies about an earlier time period in America’s history will definitely want to watch this. Otherwise, I’m not sure you’ll like this movie. This is a major reason why I consider Leatherheads a rent before buying kind of movie.
Leatherheads Plot
One of the best things about Leatherheads is all of the realistic, American Football action. I always wanted to see the way Football used to be played. It was so much more dangerous and quite feral compared to today. The outfits are so different with extra padding for less chance of injury not available back in the day. The leatherhead helmets certainly emphasize the dangerous nature of the sport and how far Football truly has come.
Jimmy “Dodge” Connolly (George Clooney) is the captain of the Duluth Bulldogs team. It’s the 1920s and he’s one of the most experienced players in the professional American Football league. Dodge is trying to do all he can to keep his Bulldogs team going. Rumor has it, the character of Dodge is based on real life American Football player, Johnny “Blood” McNally. Dodge has to save not only his team, but pro Football seems to be going down the tubes. Before he retires, he wants to make sure the game is sure to continue onward. This isn’t easy when the sponsor for the players steps out and the league is about to dismantle.
Surprisingly, Dodge is able to convince a college football star and World War I hero, Carter “the Bullet” Rutherford (John Krasinski) to join the Bulldogs. This is just the publicity the team needs to renew interest in American Football. Carter is a decorated war hero who was awarded for singlehandedly capturing a group of German soldiers. Of course, not everyone believes this story and he becomes a target of renewed interest now that he’s not only helping the Bulldogs win their games, but he’s bringing money and sponsorship back to the pro league.
When Lexie Littleton (Renée Zellweger) shows up to shadow and profile Carter, this Chicago-based newspaper reporter has more than just an interest in Carter and his career as an American Football player. She wants to break a major story concerning Carter and his alleged war “heroism”. She vies for his affection, as well as that of Dodge, who knows she’s on a witch hunt, but doesn’t tell Carter of her true intentions. Of course, when Carter makes light of the situation, confessing to Lexi that his heroics were more accidental than purposeful, everything hits the fan, causing Carter to reevaluate his place on the Duluth Bulldogs team.
In the meantime, with Dodge renewing interest in the game of pro Football, his worst nightmare happens when the game changes with rules and regulations becoming a normal part of the game. This means that several of the things that made playing football fun have been taken out of the game. Dodge is sad, but his career is nearly over. Ultimately, what it all comes down to is the game of Dodge’s life and this time, he’s about to take Carter, a much younger, faster and skilled player on, head to head.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for Leatherheads is excellent. The anamorphic widescreen image looks clear. The color palette is bright and vibrant. The skintones look realistic and there is no glare or other blatantly obvious visual problems. The video is displayed at a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Overall, there were only minor visual errors if any, at all. This was one of the most impressive aspects of the movie. Not only is the movie good, but it looks good, as well.
The audio for Leatherheads compliments the wonderful image for the movie. The soundtrack is dynamic. I didn’t need to fiddle with my volume because the sound was even and consistent. The music, dialogue and (infrequent) use of sound effects don’t overwhelm or override each other. The main track is English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. This track is wonderfully dynamic. There are two other Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in Spanish and French. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French.
Visual: 
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There are a series of bonuses on the Leatherheads DVD. With so many bonuses, let’s get right into it. The first bonus is a featured commentary with George Clooney, the director and star of Leatherheads and producer, Grant Heslov. There is plenty of information presented as the two examine the scenes, pal around, and discuss what went into creating this film. George Clooney talks about CGI elements added and how he changed specific scenes from their original drafts. There is also a lot of back patting, which is the only negative thing about this commentary.
Up next is nearly 10 minutes worth of deleted scenes. It’s clear why every single scene was deleted. These scenes didn’t fit with the rest of the film, but aren’t entirely horrible. There is a making of featurette called “Footballs Beginning: The Making of Leatherheads”. This is over five minutes in length and is your standard making of featurette. I liked how information was provided about the history of the film and the actual film making process. The cast and crew members (including Clooney, the writers and Heslov) weigh in on their thoughts. For a short featurette, this was quite interesting.
The next featurette is nearly double the size of the making of featurette. This featurette is called “No Pads, No Fear: Creating the Rowdy Football Scenes”. There were many, rather realistic football scenes and this featurette looks at how they were created. This was especially difficult to accomplish because the crew had the task of keeping the actors safe without pads and other gear that is worn today. The featurette talks with both George Clooney and one of the experts hired to help with the film, football historian and high school coach, TJ Troup.
There are more features and the next one is another featurette. This one is called “George Clooney: A Leatherheaded Prankster”. This one is a very short featurette and it looks at the prankster that George Clooney is known for being on set. While cast members are shocked he hasn’t pulled any pranks, this looks at George planning one and the outcome of his trickery.
Finally, there is a five minute long featurette, “Visual Effects Sequences”. This is a look at the extensive CGI effects that were used. Many of these effects were used to create the extensive 1920s look and feel that made the movie even more realistic. These effects also were used to create the spectacle of the football scenes, especially the crowds.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
If you like American Football, well acted movies and quirky comedies then Leatherheads is going to be right up your alley. This isn’t brainless, mindless entertainment. It’s not an action thriller. It’s a funny, sports inspired story with plenty of old fashioned Football style fun. I like the historical aspect of the film, even if it’s only loosely based on the story of two different Football players from the era. While I liked this movie, it won’t be for everyone. I recommend you rent before buying. Otherwise, this film is highly recommended.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Leatherheads, DVD Review, Universal Studios, American football, George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, early 20th century, Duluth Bulldogs
Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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