Leatherheads
User Score
5.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 35
  3. Negative: 8 out of 35

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  1. TastyJamProject
    Jan 20, 2012
    5
    George Clooney gives his all to make this an old fashioned romp and a good time. However, Kranski is to inexperienced to pull of his role and Zellweger is toxic in hers. In the end it's not good, bad, funny or sad. It's just boring.
  2. AdamA.
    Oct 2, 2008
    7
    Entertaining, but not great. However, being the only film about early football wins it some points.
  3. JayH.
    Sep 17, 2008
    7
    Enjoyable old fashioned film, good pace, fine cast. The period detail is good and the art direction, costumes and cinematography are great. Very entertaining and fun.
  4. JasonR.
    Apr 21, 2008
    0
    I walked out after about 30 minutes so I can not give a detailed review. From what I saw was Hollywood making a high marketed low budget film with an experienced cast that had to fulfill their contractual obligations. Piece of garbage...
  5. Iris
    Apr 20, 2008
    9
    I really liked the movie. I expected it to be a bit more screwball comedy in it. Nevertheless, it was a nice balance between a comedy, romance and sports movie. I'm getting so tired of the sexual, gross out comedies. It was quite nice to see a comedy with some elegance, intelligence and sweetness to it.
  6. DonnieH.
    Apr 17, 2008
    1
    What was up with Renee Zellwegger in this movie? She looked all puffy. But a bad movie all in all. I agree its ripping off movies no one wants to see anymore.
  7. SheilaM.
    Apr 15, 2008
    5
    I like both the stars, Clooney and Zellweger, but the script did not serve them well. It put my husband (an incredible football fan) and me to sleep! Very disappointing! I can not imagine using such terrific actors in a movie with great potential and a lacklustre script.
  8. ChadS.
    Apr 9, 2008
    4
    Never mind Rosalind Russell in Howard Hawks' "His Girl Friday", there's Jennifer Jason Leigh's canny tribute to the motormouthed Russell in Joel & Ethan Coen's underrated "The Hudsucker Proxy" to contend with, and Renee Zellweger simply doesn't measure up. To be fair, not even Leigh, with all that screwball sorcery she conjured as a newspaper woman("I'll stake my Pulitzer on it!") in the 1994 film starring Tim Robbins and Paul Newman, could spin gold out of this canned script. Especially when Zelwegger is opposite the filmmaker, whose direction to his leading lady and to himself should've been, "Faster banter, kill! kill!" because the laughs are nearly nil. Journalistic integrity(or careerism) is the crux of "Leatherheads", in which Lexie Littleton(Zellweger) has to choose between the truth about a football hero's alleged derring-do for the war effort, and perpetuating the myth as the newspaper man did in John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"("When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.") Hmmm. Jessica Lynch, anybody? Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, if you recall, had in his possession, nude photos of the Iraqi war hero. If you go by the film's logic, that the public has a right to know, then by all means, the pornographer should expose the exposed. Muckracking, or proto-tabloid journalism, that's what "Leatherheads" frames its attempt at screwball comedy around.… Expand
  9. DavidG.
    Apr 9, 2008
    0
    Clooney has turned in to the movie equivalent of a cover band. Vomiting back genres of pictures no one goes to see any more. Clooney is a few pictures away from doing tv again.
  10. emmylou
    Apr 8, 2008
    6
    Filmed in golden hues of nostalgia, this movie clearly conveys the creators' affection for the era (whether in America or in American filmmaking is up to you). Strangely, I didn't feel much love for football--the ostensible subject of the film. Since I'm not much of a football fan this wouldn't have mattered to me except for the fact that not much else was on offer. The romance doesn't excite, the moral message is more interesting but still not passionate, and the comedy doesn't really happen. I wanted to like Leatherheads more than I could - as I left I had to admit I had not been moved to laugh, commiserate or contemplate.… Expand
  11. FranceL.
    Apr 7, 2008
    9
    Terrific period sets, great music, fine cinematography, rapid fire dialogue, a dash of slapstick, and a few very funny moments combine for entertainment well worth the ticket price.. And did I mention George Clooney?
  12. ChrisC.
    Apr 6, 2008
    3
    Not funny at all.
  13. Mr.C.
    Apr 6, 2008
    10
    Funny ! This Movie is very wonderful!
  14. KathyS.
    Apr 5, 2008
    8
    "Leatherheads" is perfectly cast, well-acted, beautifully directed, and gorgeous to look at. This is a fun movie that both men and women can enjoy.
  15. HalB.
    Apr 4, 2008
    6
    After a promising start, the movie fades to a lackluster finish. As other reviews have noted, Clooney seemingly can't decide whether to present the tale as a mad-cap comedy, a old-fashioned romance, or a morality tale... The actors are all game, and there are some nice scenes between the leads... but the overall effect is oddly 'off'. And it just runs out of steam towards the end, with a climactic football game that is about as boring as they come.… Expand
  16. RichardM.
    Apr 4, 2008
    7
    Good story, snappy dialogue, and a nice balance of comedy, drama, and a time when pro football was held in the same esteem as pro wrestling is today, which is to say, if you're interested in the actual sport, watch it at the college level. An excellent score helps transport you to the 1920's and is sustained throughout. Interesting perspectives on truth-telling by public figures, journalistic gotchas, and the dilemma of stonewalling vs. coming clean. George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krazinski turn in spot-on performances, and a good cast provides support. Despite one or two awkward moments of dialogue, and a deciding on-field play that was somewhat confusing, the movie was quite enjoyable.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
  1. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    67
    Too much of Leatherheads feels like studied motions, and its charms never plaster over a story that takes forever to get going, and doesn't go too far once it does.
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  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    50
    Sidelined by a script that plays like an imitation of another era’s artifacts. It’s an oxymoron: a mild screwball romance.
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  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    50
    There's a flatness about the whole enterprise -- like drinking champagne, but from an old house slipper. Re: his performance, Clooney is terrific. His comparison to old movie stars is not just hype. He really does possess the combination of supreme confidence and humility that has been the hallmark of the biggest male Hollywood stars.
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