Fair attempt at screwball comedy
&#34;Leatherheads,&#34; the new comedy directed by George Clooney, takes place in the mid-1920's. College football draws big crowds while fledgling pro football has no rules, is played in cow pastures by a ragtag collection of ruffians, and has trouble attracting enough spectators to meet expenses. Dodge Connelly (George Clooney), a player for a pro team, the Duluth Bulldogs, is facing unemployment as his team is about to go belly up. He has an idea.<br /><br />Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), regarded as a war hero for single-handedly forcing the surrender of over thirty German soldiers, is a Princeton football star. Why not lure him to pro football with the promise of a huge per-game fee, thereby boosting attendance and drawing attention to pro football? Meanwhile, fast-talking cub reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is assigned to dig into Carter's war hero story to see if there is something fishy about it. This lays the groundwork for a romantic triangle with both Dodge and Carter vying for Lexie's affection.<br /><br />&#34;Leatherheads&#34; is designed as an homage to 1930's screwball comedy, when stars like Carole Lombard, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and William Powell found themselves in precarious situations and attempted to deal with them with witty banter and slapstick in the face of mistaken intentions, unexpected romantic entanglements, and rich relatives. Though &#34;Leatherheads&#34; veers a bit from the formula, it self-consciously tries to mimic the feel of those Frank Capra, Preston Sturges, and George Cukor romps of yore.<br /><br />The film seems an odd choice for Clooney to give double duty as star and director. It never achieves the polished brilliance of classic screwball comedy, often feeling like a film school exercise in duplicating the style. Writers Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly incorporate some very funny moments but fail to maintain the breakneck pace of true screwball comedy.<br /><br />The three leads are all charming, with Ms. Zellweger a standout as wisecracking Lexie, the girl reporter looked down on by her all-male colleagues. We're reminded of Rosalind Russell in &#34;His Girl Friday,&#34; but Zellweger gives Lexie her own spin. She loves to be feminine but wants her journalism to be taken seriously. She yearns for the Big Story. She's been promised a longed-for promotion if she succeeds in finding some dirt on Carter. In true screwball comedy fashion, her professionalism comes in conflict with her heart when she finds herself falling for Carter. With her kewpie doll looks, Zellweger is a perfect fit for Lexie.<br /><br />Mr. Krasinski (TV's &#34;The Office&#34;) is very good as blueblood Carter Rutherford. He brings an easygoing naturalness to his portrayal of the football and war hero and handles the romantic scenes effectively as well. In the old days, this character might have been written simply as a good-looking naif. But this Carter is no mere pretty-boy, and there are some interesting twists along the way. His heroic icon image is balanced by the reality of a self-serving, greedy opportunist. Since the movie is a comedy, all things -- or almost all things -- turn out well.<br /><br />Rated PG-13, &#34;Leatherheads&#34; is certainly entertaining. Its production design, costumes, period automobiles, vintage billboard advertisements, and peppy score by Randy Newman nicely suggest the period. Beneath the comedy is the story of how pro football transformed itself from the poor cousin of college football into what would eventually become America's most popular spectator sport.
The movie title "Leatherheads (Widescreen)," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.3 from 687 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Genre for Featured Categories and Comedy. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Comedy/Romantic Comedies, Comedy", "Format": "Multiple Formats, AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Dubbed, Widescreen", "Contributor": "Casey Silver, Duncan Brantley, Renee Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce, Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Rick Reilly, John KrasinskiCasey Silver, Duncan Brantley, Renee Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce, Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Rick Reilly, John Krasinski   See more", "Initial release date": "2018-10-09", "Language": "French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1)", "Aspect Ratio": "1.85:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)", "Product Dimensions": "0.56 x 5.38 x 7.55 inches; 2.72 Ounces", "Item model number": "MFR025195012935#VG", "Director": "George Clooney", "Media Format": "Multiple Formats, AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Dubbed, Widescreen", "Run time": "1 hour and 54 minutes", "Release date": "October 9, 2018", "Actors": "George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce", "Dubbed": "French, Spanish", "Subtitles": "Spanish, French", "Producers": "Grant Heslov, Casey Silver", "Studio": "Universal Pictures Home Entertainment", "Writers": "Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly", "Number of discs": "1"}

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