Leatherheads Reviews

This page contains reviews of the movie Leatherheads.

George Clooney both directs and stars in this romantic comedy, which is based on a true story about a 1920's football team whose players must fight to keep their team alive. When a war hero and college football star signs on to play, he winds up competing with his coach for the affections of a brash newspaper writer.

The movie received an average rating of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 57% on Metacritic.

1. Release Date: April 4, 2008
2. Director: George Clooney
3. Starring: George Clooney, John Krasinski, Renee Zellweger, Stephen Root, Wayne Duvall, Keith Loneker, Malcolm Goodwin, Matt Bushell, Tim Griffin, Robert Baker, Nick Paonessa, Nick Bourdages
4. MPAA Rating: PG-13
5. Run time: 114 minutes
6. Distributor: Universal Studios

• RogerEbert.com (3/4): Leatherheads Review
  • "Clooney's a team player, and his generosity toward his collaborators, as an actor and a director, shines throughout the movie."

• Rolling Stone (3/4): Leatherheads Review
  • "In his third shot at directing, following two savvy meditations on media and politics (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck), Clooney throws us a rowdy party of a movie."

• ReelViews (3/4): Leatherheads Review
  • "...a pleasant enough comedy - one of those movies that offers plenty of smiles and warmhearted chuckles but no big belly laughs. The dialogue in particular is rich and witty, and delivered in a rat-a-tat fashion that demands perfect timing."

• Newsday.com (3/4): Leatherheads Review
  • "Once upon a time, Hollywood produced smart, light comedies like this as a matter of course. These days, Leatherheads seems like a gift."

• The Austin Chronicle: Leatherheads Review
  • "...a loving nod to the screwballs of yore; good-looking, appropriately scored, and well-acted; and possessing of a handful of truly transportive moments. It's awfully agreeable &mdash so why doesn't it entirely work?"

• San Jose Mercury News (B): Leatherheads: Clooney and Team Score a TD
  • "Artificial as "Leatherheads"' sometimes gets, it's grounded in modern screen naturalism. As in all of Clooney's directing efforts, there's also an ethical seriousness at its core."

• Variety: Leatherheads Review
  • "...aims only to please and proves perfectly amiable, but ultimate effect is one of much energy expended to minimal payoff."

• The Hollywood Reporter: Leatherheads Review
  • "Clooney and co-star Renee Zellweger certainly will lure customers, but story weaknesses and ill-defined characters will challenge their most ardent fans to root for anything other than a swift ending."

• EW.com (C): Leatherheads Review
  • "The dialogue drags no matter how fast Clooney and Zellweger rattle off their he-said-she-said lines in a studious imitation of Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell."

• Village Voice: Leatherheads Never Gets Past 'Promising'
• "...for its entire two hours, Leatherheads is rarely less than very promising&mdashand also rarely more."

• Slate: Illegal Use of Hands
  • "Leatherheads is better than a finger in your eye. It's a perfectly passable, if instantly forgettable, date movie..."

• The New York Times: Leatherheads Review
  • "What is harder to comprehend is how Mr. Clooney turned out such a sloppy, haphazard and tonally incoherent piece of work."

• The Arizona Republic (2.5/5): Leatherheads Review
  • "If nothing else, Leatherheads answers the question: Can George Clooney do no wrong? Yes, evidently."

• Newsweek: Fumble, by George
  • "The great '30s comedies had edge, bite and relentless forward momentum. Leatherheads is laid-back, amiable and terminally tepid."