Leatherheads

Leatherheads is a romantic comedy film about a financially struggling football team. The film, partially based on facts, portrays the formation of the National Football League during the 1920s.

Fast Facts

1. Release date: April 4, 2008
2. Studio: Universal Studios
3. Director: George Clooney
4. Screenwriters: Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly
5. MPAA rating: PG-13
6. Filming locations: South Carolina and North Carolina
7. Grossed $12.6 million in the United States and Canada in its opening weekend¹

Plot Synopsis

Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly (George Clooney), the captain of the Duluth Bulldogs, recruits Carter 'The Bullet' Rutherford (John Krasinski), hoping to leverage the latter's World War I hero record. Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is a journalist who suspects that Carter's heroism is bogus. Both men vie for Lexie's attention and resolve their rivalry in a climactic final game.

Cast

• George Clooney: Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly
• John Krasinski: Carter 'The Bullet' Rutherford
• Renee Zellweger: Lexie Littleton
• Stephen Root: Suds
• Wayne Duvall: Coach Frank Ferguson
• Keith Loneker: Big Gus Schiller
• Malcolm Goodwin: Bakes
• Matt Bushell: Curly
• Tim Griffin: Ralph
• Robert Baker: Stump
• Nick Paonessa: Zoom
• Nick Bourdages: Bug

Critical Reception

The film received mixed reviews. Roger Ebert praised the movie, describing it as an "amalgam of vintage screwball comedies".² A.O.Scott of The New York Times called the film a "sloppy, haphazard and tonally incoherent piece of work".³

Categories