LEATHERHEADS: A MOVIE REVIEW
LEATHERHEADS (2008)
This film was photographically speaking a winner. After that it goes a bit downhill.
Directed by George Clooney, the film seems to be an affectionate look at film stories told several decades back. Perhaps for that reason, it had more appeal for me than it oughta. There were “snappy” lines well rendered and with appropriate facial expressions–sometimes muggings. The timing of the human interactions was another plus, as well as the composition of many scenes. Therefore, one may say that George Clooney has progressed directorially. He credits the Cohen brothers, for whom he labored as an actor, and they have remarkable abilities, especially getting the most from actors. Of course they also learned from earlier filmmakers, so there is no diminishment of Clooney in so noting. If you’re going to do it, then may as well glean from the best of the past.
Neither George Clooney nor his co-star, Renee Zellweger, are “spring chickens,” but the character Clooney plays is at least forty-two years old. That allows Clooney to fit comfortably into the role. He fit like a glove, in point of fact. He brought an interesting blend of Burt Lancaster and George Segal to the character, whether intentionally or not. As director, Clooney could also be assured of suitable camera angles, as well as editing. It’s called: Protecing Your Ass (“PYA”). This is a very important principle in boxing, football and directing/acting.
Poor Renee! She was so dependent upon the kindnesses of Clooney. He’s got a mean streak, I’m thinking. She has to play the role of a thirty year old–give or take a few. NO WAY JOSE! Using heavy make-up and from a distance, Renee looked good. However, from some of the closer camera shots, she appeared to be a bit mishapened, suggesting a “botox” treatment that went a bit awry. She’s a terrific actress and a phenomenon of internal forces from which to draw to empower her characters. However, for an actress time is a cruel taskmaster. Nevertheless, often the camera was a medium shot and the photography had a way of making her plenty appealing for a newspaper “jump-out.” Her hair is a becoming blonde. She adorns her lips with a very appealing shade of red. If this sounds equivocal, it’s because that is what was provoked in seeing her on the screen.
John Krasinski executed his role of the college football hero, Carter “Bullet” Rutherford, at an Ivy League school very well. His character is basically simple and forthright, after the fashion of a boy who loves football. Even so, he’s been around, as he fought in World War I in France, prior to entering Princeton University (as I recall). Not only that, he was proclaimed a hero for capturing a couple of dozen Germans singlehandedly. Naturally, he’s pretty popular with the fans–a true All-American boy. Parenthetically, in the scenes which showed Krasinski running with the football, he seemed fairly credible. He may have had a “body double,” however.
The remaining cast provided reasonably good support, so that the whole flick seemed well done. Renee’s immediate supervisor at her newspaper was a classic of newsroom types as portrayed in movies.
The storyline: Aging professional football player “Jimmy ‘Dodge’ Connelly” (Clooney) is trying to survive in prosperous 1925 America. His profession hasn’t “taken off.” In fact teams were folding constantly, it seemed. His team, the Duluth Bulldogs, had at least an owner with a few bucks. However, the owner had looked at it from a business angle–advertisement. The sparse attendance spelled “failed ad campaign.” He was getting disgruntled. At the outset of this film the point was made that football was very popular in America–at the college level. It quickly follwed by making the point that pro ball was hardly more than big boys playing sandlot football. What to do? “Dodge” Connelly decided to have a talk with “Bullet” Rutherford, or rather with his lawyer, “C.C. Frazier” (Jonathon Pryce), who acted as a sort of agent. Meanwhile, a camera cut puts the people into the newpaper wherein “Lexie Littleton” (Renee Zellweger) worked as a tough, well-respected, quick-quipping reporter. The newshound boss and his female “old reliable” are to interview a man who says he served in the same unit as Rutherford, and that Rutherford was no hero. He’s a fraud! Lexie is given the assignment of proving the story true or false and getting the “goods” on “Bullet” by pretending to be a sports reporter, covering him. The threesome meet and sparks begin to “fly.” Lexie and “Dodge” are both suspicious of each other and attracted to each other. Complicating matters for Lexie, she finds the “big lug” attractive, too. He’s young, tall, dark and handsome. And he’s sincere. She feels she could trust “Bullet.” It’s just too bad he can’t trust her. “Dodge” inks the “Bullet” to a pro ball contract with his Duluth Bulldogs. Ticket sells increase. Meanwhile, “Lexie” has finally gotten onto the war history of Carter Rutherford by locating others who served with him. Further muckraking efforts leads to a pretty strong case against “Bullet.” The tough reporter with a heart of gold feels a bit of remorse as she hands her report over to the newshound boss. Bummer! Still, she had to do what she had to do. She’s a pro. She stands by her report. This whole business threatens to derail “Dodge’s” plans just at the moment when it seemed that pro football had arrived. “Bullet” is relieved to get it all out. He didn’t feel like a war hero and never asked to be called one. There are to-and-fros, team-jumping, romantic squabbling, and The Big Pro Game–for all the marbles. “Dodge” vs “Bullet” in a mudder. Can the artful Dodge work football magic? Or will “Bullet’s” speed kill the Duluth Bulldogs? Lexie has jumped off the fence, pulling for her “Dodge.” What will the new Commissioner of Professional Football, “Pete Harkin” (Peter Gerety), do about “illegal tricks” in the Championship game? Will “Dodge” sweep “Lexie” up and ride into the sunset? Vice versa? Could these two possibly eat wedding cake? These and more questions may drive the curious reader to take a view of this pleasant film.
Incidentally, Randy Newman provided original music.
All rights reserved. Gobigfoot, 2008.
