Leatherheads

The only thing I find more tedious than football movies is watching an actual football game. Thankfully, this is not a football movie.

Leatherheads is a good old-fashioned screwball comedy. Renée Zellweger practically channels Kathryn Hepburn as the cheeky dame in trousers, and George Clooney reminds us that in addition to being a brooding Oscar-winning actor, he is also a very, very funny guy. John Krasinski rounds out the romantic trio as the lovable palooka who just wants to play ball.

All three actors seem perfectly at home in the 1920s, and their believability gives the film an innocent charm. There is nothing modern or updated about Leatherheads. Even the big love scene goes no further than smooching, resulting in both parties being covered in lipstick. Yes, even the make-up is true to the period.

Leatherheads does bog down a bit in the third quarter, and resorts to the inevitable ‘Big Game’ at the end. In general, though, I found it utterly enjoyable and entertaining. Three and a half stars out of five.

(Despite my choice of a film that is at once a sports movie AND a chick flick, Murray still managed to hate it.)