Leatherheads
1.5/4
Starring: George Clooney, John Krasinski, Renee Zellwegger, Jonathan Pryce
Rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language
There are two things that every screwball comedy must have: timing and momentum. These things are essential and non-negotiable. Without them, you end up with a bore like "Leatherheads."
The film is about the beginnings of professional football (although anyone who even has a mild appreciation of the game should stay far away from this disaster...as should everyone else by the way). Dodge Connelly (Clooney) is a player for the Duluth Bulldogs, a minor team. As it is now, football has no rules and few spectators. College football is a different story, and everyone is talking about Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (Krasinski). He's talented, a war hero, and a nice guy...in other words, he's the kind of guy you almost want to strangle because he's so good. He even has his own agent, the sleazy CC Frazier (Pryce). After every professional team goes belly up (including the Duluth Bulldogs), Connelly hatches a plan to revitalize it: get Rutherford to play. Rutherford and Frazier aren't persuaded until Connelly offers them a healthy paycheck. Meanwhile, a reporter named Lexie Littleton (Zellwegger) is chasing down a story that may prove that Rutherford isn't the hero that everyone says he is.
The story has some potential to be a screwball comedy that might have been produced in the 40's. In fact, it's obvious that that's what Clooney is going for. Clooney, however, has missed the mark by an enormously wide margin. The timing is way off on nearly every joke, and they aren't particularly amusing to begin with. It's strange because all of the cast members have proven, many times, that they understand how to effectively time a joke.
Dodge Connelly is a role that might as well have been tailor-made for Clooney. He's a lovable rascal, just like many of his characters are (Danny Ocean, Archie Gates, Jack Foley). Clooney knows how to get a laugh, but here he's flat. More successful are his co-stars, Krasinski and Zellwegger, although there's not much they can do. Pryce is completely miscast. In fact, one has to wonder what Clooney was thinking when he offered him the part (and it's certainly not the actor's finest hour either).
Nearly every creative decision that Clooney has made misfires badly. The cinematography, meant to capture the sepia tone of early films, drains any energy the film might have, it's too long by a half hour and the timing is horrible. And as a result, "Leatherheads" is utter crap. Clooney, Zellwegger and Krasinski can do better.
Starring: George Clooney, John Krasinski, Renee Zellwegger, Jonathan Pryce
Rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language
There are two things that every screwball comedy must have: timing and momentum. These things are essential and non-negotiable. Without them, you end up with a bore like "Leatherheads."
The film is about the beginnings of professional football (although anyone who even has a mild appreciation of the game should stay far away from this disaster...as should everyone else by the way). Dodge Connelly (Clooney) is a player for the Duluth Bulldogs, a minor team. As it is now, football has no rules and few spectators. College football is a different story, and everyone is talking about Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (Krasinski). He's talented, a war hero, and a nice guy...in other words, he's the kind of guy you almost want to strangle because he's so good. He even has his own agent, the sleazy CC Frazier (Pryce). After every professional team goes belly up (including the Duluth Bulldogs), Connelly hatches a plan to revitalize it: get Rutherford to play. Rutherford and Frazier aren't persuaded until Connelly offers them a healthy paycheck. Meanwhile, a reporter named Lexie Littleton (Zellwegger) is chasing down a story that may prove that Rutherford isn't the hero that everyone says he is.
The story has some potential to be a screwball comedy that might have been produced in the 40's. In fact, it's obvious that that's what Clooney is going for. Clooney, however, has missed the mark by an enormously wide margin. The timing is way off on nearly every joke, and they aren't particularly amusing to begin with. It's strange because all of the cast members have proven, many times, that they understand how to effectively time a joke.
Dodge Connelly is a role that might as well have been tailor-made for Clooney. He's a lovable rascal, just like many of his characters are (Danny Ocean, Archie Gates, Jack Foley). Clooney knows how to get a laugh, but here he's flat. More successful are his co-stars, Krasinski and Zellwegger, although there's not much they can do. Pryce is completely miscast. In fact, one has to wonder what Clooney was thinking when he offered him the part (and it's certainly not the actor's finest hour either).
Nearly every creative decision that Clooney has made misfires badly. The cinematography, meant to capture the sepia tone of early films, drains any energy the film might have, it's too long by a half hour and the timing is horrible. And as a result, "Leatherheads" is utter crap. Clooney, Zellwegger and Krasinski can do better.
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