Leatherheads

Leatherheads was the movie of choice this weekend. Mom has wanted to see this one since she saw the previews; I thought it looked fun too, so off we went...

As 1920s football coach Dodge Connelly (George Clooney) banters for the affections of feisty journalist Lexie (Renee Zellweger) against the all-American youthful charm of his hotshot new player Carter "Bullet" Rutherford (John Krasinski).

Leatherheads is a beautiful recreation of an era when pro American footballers couldn't give up their day jobs and Connelly's beloved team are broke. But hope comes in the lanky form of college footballer Rutherford, cute as pie and a war hero to boot, who draws in the crowds and saves not only the team but the pro game too. Lexie is the journalist dispatched to dig behind Rutherford's hero persona but, as screwball would have it, wreaks a little in-team fighting when both he and Connelly fall head over heels for her.

"Leatherheads" is glib, sophisticated and silly. While a bit too scruffy to be a great comedy, it is enjoyable all the way and written for adults who would like a break from jokes that rely on bodily fluids or reams of profanity.