Enjoyable. It's a feather-light film, but the jazzy '20s setting, witty humor, and fine performances all help make it a memorable screwball comedy. George Clooney and Renee Zellweger do wonderful jobs with the film's snappy back-and-forth dialogue, showing rather solid chemistry together, while the likeable John Krasinski also delivers a nice performance. The football scenes are fun to watch and Clooney (as director) helps to divide the film well between scenes of that nature and scenes without it. It loses a bit of steam near the end, but it's definitely a film worth watching if you can appreciate this sort of old-fashioned comedy. B

Very clever and funny movie. George Clooney is at his best here, and I was particularly impressed with Renee Zellweger, who I haven't really been a fan of since this movie. The movie runs about 20 minutes too long sadly, but overall it is good entertainment.

Grade: B

I never thought I'd write this, since I've been looking forward to Leatherheads for years and iit seems, you know, tailor-made for me...

but it's fucking awful. Everybody tries way too hard (a proper screwball comedy should look easy), and Clooney the director, unlike Clooney the actor, shows no flair for comedy. It's George aping the Coens aping Preston Sturges. It simply does not work.

The script is never funny. These things live or die based on the snappy repartee, and I regret to say that nobody has anything interesting to say. Ever.

The flick is also way too pretty looking. Every frame is gorgeous, immaculately framed...and it suffocates the comedy.

And for some reason, Renee Zellweger sounds less like Rosalind Russell and more like Melanie Griffith. She sucks.

Zellweger acting awfully...wonders never cease

She's a horrid actor. Always has been, always will be.

I love Renee Zellweger (always have, always will) *shrug*

And I thought she did the best job in this film of the principals, acting-wise.

Agreed. I don't understand the hate. She's great in almost every project, even if the film itself isn't up to standards.

Well, she'll always hold a special place in my heart because of Bridget Jones's Diary (ignoring the lame sequel).

I mean, aside from other fantastic films/performances she's had like Jerry Maguire, Cold Mountain, Nurse Betty, and Chicago.

I don't hate Renee Zellweger. Bridget Jones, Chicago, Down With Love, Jerry Maguire...good performances, good movies all.

But I just thought she completely shit the bed in this one. I kept imagining how someone like Amy Adams would elevate the lackluster material (she's making a career of this; she even made the tired gags in Pettigrew fly). The one or two occasions where Zellweger had something moderately clever to say (all occurring in the initial 'meet cute') she dropped the ball. I think I involuntarily slapped my forehead at one point.

It's a shame that one of her strongest performances (in 2006's Miss Potter) went largely ignored by the public.

But yeah, she's great in just about everything. Bridget Jones will and always be her best role though, IMO.

Truthfully I never wanted to see it after the trailer. I didn't expect much and even if I see it one day, I won't rush to see it.

For all, if you want to see a better / good comedy, see Run FatBoy Run.

I had a pretty good time with it. The whole screwball comedy angle had me from the very start of the movie. The actual story is somewhat weak and predictable, but the sharp dialogue and solid performances cover the difference. George Clooney is his slick old George Clooney self, and does nice work behind the camera as well (though this is not even close to his last effort, Good Night, and Good Luck). Renee Zellwegger gives her best performance since winning the Oscar for Cold Mountain, and is arguably the best in the cast. Clooney and Zellwegger have excellent chemistry. (John Krasinski, on the other hand, proved to be unimpressive.) If there's anything that really works against the film, it's the football (ironically). The movie loses a bit of steam during the final gridiron showdown. But despite its flaws, Leatherheads is a lot of fun.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4, B/B+

On a bit of a side note, I can't wait to see Clooney team up with the Coen Brothers again in Burn After Reading this fall.

The third act along with decent performances from Clooney and Krasinki I felt saved this film from being a monumental waste of time. The laughs were far and few between, the script was mediocre at best and the direction was in need of improvement. Clooney while being a better than average actor has a serious learning curve ahead of him if he hopes to one day consider himself a good director. And I'm going to agree with Yoshue on Zellwegger being the weak link in the film and sounding a bit like Melanie Griffith. Her performance wasn't terrible per-se but it didn't pack the punch the role required.

Grade B-/C+

As I watched this, I kept thinking to myself, "Hey, this is way better than people were saying", but then i got thinking, "It's all gonna come together any second now"...

Unfortunately, it never did all come together. There were many fine elements, but the writers couldn't put a whole story arc together even if they had Noah as an editor. Yow! Talk about yer whole being less than the sum of yer parts.

Very underwhelming (and this is coming from a big George and Rene fan - - though the guy they got to play the war hero/football star couldn't have been anymore bland and unfunny).

3 out of 5.

I told myself that every 30-seconds for the entire movie. I wanted so badly to like it. By the end, I felt pathetic.

Well this is basically a mess.

It's not particularly funny, but what's worse, is that it loses sight of what it's supposed to be about. Supposedly, it's a football movie, but it gets so bogged down in the love triangle and the Sergeant York war story that it forgets to show any football stuff. By the time the final game rolls around, you've forgotten what the film was about. Even the hopelessly generic, sappy ending can't save this thing.

Also, I don't usually try and let this kind of thing bother me, but how was Clooney's 'trick' play at the end useful at all? It ended up being basically a jump ball anyway. And how would they know he didn't line up on the right side at the beginning of the play? They couldn't even tell who was on which team.

Ugh.

B


Maybe it's because I had no expectations whatsoever when I popped in the DVD or maybe it's because I am a fan of the leads, but I found the film surprisingly enjoyable. Of course it doesn't break any new ground and carries its load of flaws, but it's light fun with two spirited performances that make you forget about some of the film's pitfalls. Clooney is a true movie star and I have always enjoyed him in his comedic roles (his performance in O Brother where art thou? might still be a career-best) and he's fun here as well. Sure, he once again pulls a typical Clooney shtick, but it works. I'm also always partial to Renee Zellweger, much like Libs never understanding the hatred against here and she, once again, delivers, playing of Clooney very well. The two have a nice chemistry and make the best of the average screenplay. The football scenes are also rather well-done and the movie is paced well. Moreover, I thought the 1920s setting is well conveyed as the time period is recreated in detail.

What I do have an issue with was John Krasinski and his character. Not that the performance is bad, but it just paled compared to the two charming leads. Also, his character's back story is just used as a plot device, adding little to the actual love triangle. It's like the film is not sure what to focus on - the romance, Carter's war lie or football. The screenplay is just uneven at times.

Nonetheless, it's a good way to spend two hours thanks to the great play of its leads and some really well done bits of slapstick. It's the kind of an old-fashioned film that can only be rarely seen nowadays and for that, even though the plot is predictable, it is still refreshing to watch.

Very meh. Likeable characters... but I couldn't get past the fact it was written by Rick Reilly. UGH

Dr. Lecter, wow. This is a contender for the worst film ever, easily.

Not a very good movie, and I love Clooney to the point of being an apologist at times (I own The Good German).

It just hits this toxic note of WANTING SO VERY FUCKING BADLY to be light and playful and charming. It's a very claustrophobic viewing experience.