Leatherheads

It’s always interesting when an actor ventures into the world of directing. Depending on who that actor is, you can become really anxious to see how they will do behind the camera. Some great films have been directed by actors, and George Clooney, had one of those great films with his directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and proved his first outing wasn’t a fluke with his follow up, Good Night, and Good Luck. With his latest, Leatherheads, he once again proves something – that’s he’s able to make mistakes. The actor, who usually can do no wrong, has unfortunately done just that - Leatherheads is a rare Clooney miss.

It’s 1925 and professional football is a joke. Teams are folding left and right and aging star of the Duluth Bulldogs, Dodge Connelly (George Clooney) is struggling to keep his team afloat. In order to attract an audience to his failing league, Dodge drafts college all-star, and war-hero, Carter Rutherford (Jim Krasinski). Carter definitely fills the seats, and as a result professional Football begins to see a turnaround, but Dodge and Carter soon become rivals, with Carter stealing the spotlight. Another wrench soon comes between the two, and that’s Lexie Littleton (Renée Zellweger), a reporter who plans on uncovering a bigger story from Carter’s past.

On the surface Leatherheads should have been a film I couldn’t wait to see. It has a fantastic cast, save for maybe Zellweger who I’ve never been a fan of, and features a decent enough story, with the prospect of a lot of laughs. There’s no denying that the pieces are there, but unfortunately most of them just didn’t fit together. Clooney’s vision seems to be a little skewed in this directorial outing, which might say something about his decision to star. His previous efforts behind the camera saw Clooney take on smaller roles in front.

Clooney’s decision to turn the flick into a giant homage to screwball comedies of past just doesn’t seem to work. From the moment the old school Universal Pictures logo rolls at the front, to the scenes with Clooney and Zellweger spouting out rapid one liners, it’s plainly obvious what Clooney is going for. The only problem is that the whole time he’s paying tribute to the classics, you can’t help but shake the feeling that everyone on screen is trying just a little too hard. Paying tribute is fine, but theirs a fine line to having your film pay tribute, and having it just be a constant wink at the audience.

That being said, Clooney’s throwback isn’t a complete waste. There are a few scenes when the slapstick element works. In particular when Clooney and Zellweger get chased out of a speakeasy. But for every joke and gag that works, there’s a bout two that fall completely flat.

Also, towards the end Leatherheads does pick up, with a few decent football scenes, but quickly falls apart again. Mainly due to the fact that too much emphasis is put on Jim Krasinski’s character and his shady past. The spotlight shifts away form Clooney and Zellweger, and even though their characters aren’t the greatest either, they still keep Leatherheads from being a complete disaster.

Overall, Leatherheads has some fun moments, but nothing worth spending two hours in a theater for. Which is something I don’t often say about a George Clooney movie.