'Leatherheads' downright fun

Directed by George Clooney

Rated PG-13

(Three Stars)

By Bruce Bulloch

The opening scenes of "O Brother, Where Art thou?" were a revelation.

There he was, George Clooney - the actor who stamped a trademark on cool for the millennial turning; the guy who could ignite a scene, heck, even an entire movie, with a simmering stare - scrambling into a depression-era boxcar, wide eyed and fast talking, trying to ingratiate his way onto this tenuous perch and avoid a pratfall that was only seconds away. Clooney was doing comedy and everyone, except the sad-sack tramps in the boxcar, was laughing.

The 1930s, it turns out were very good to George Clooney.

With "Leatherheads" Clooney has taken a sentimental journey back to the era where laughs came easy. He plays Dodge Connelly, an over-age, down on his luck football player, trying to keep his team afloat. The year is 1925 and professional football is in danger of fading away before it even gets started. Dodge needs a gimmick to draw in fans and he thinks he's found one in Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski). Carter is the golden boy of college football, a spectator sport that has no problem filling stadiums. Steal away Carter Rutherford and Dodge can steal away some of those crowds.

But Carter has an Achilles heel. Part of his appeal is based on a heroic war record that may not be real. A reporter, Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger), is hot on his trail and intent on exposing him.

In "Leatherheads," George Clooney, the actor, has a lot to work with because George Clooney, the director, makes sure of it. Clooney has learned a trick or two about casting from his work with the Coen brothers. The Coen's know how to flesh out the landscape of their films with talented character actors and some of the best from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" show up in "Leatherheads."

More over, John Krasinski is an inspired choice for Carter. He's a handsome guy whose face is just rubbery enough to make you believe he comes from the same gene pool as the rest of the mutts who inhabit this movie. And he has that smile-honed in his battles with Dwight Schrute on "The Office"-of a straight shooter who just may be harboring ulterior motives. It's a look that helps him go toe to toe with Clooney's Dodge Connelly.

And then there's Renee Zellweger. What other actress has gotten more mileage from her lips with the possible exception of Angelina Jolie? When Zellweger purses those lips you know something will soon erupt-in this case razor-sharp sarcasm delivered in the ping-pong quick style of Katharine Hepburn.

The writers give Zellweger a lot of ammunition to whittle Dodge down to size. Along with ill-fitting leather helmets of the era, "Leatherheads" borrows the snappy patter of screwball comedies and makes the most of it. Individual scenes crackle with humor and romantic tension.

What "Leatherheads" did not manage to lift is the rhythm of those comedies. Screwball comedies weave a tapestry of goofiness. The laughter from one gag hardly has time to die down before the first hint of the next comes into view. "Leatherheads" takes a more static approach. This is a movie full of beautifully crafted comedic moments that don't go anywhere. Clooney as a director seems satisfied to linger on his accomplishments as the laughter fades away. He can't find the overlapping energy of one gag slapping up against another.

The key to Clooney's success as a comedic actor was his willingness to toss away the stillness that surrounded his simmering cool as a dramatic leading man. As a director he drags that impulse to linger back to the loopy era of screwball comedies and it just doesn't work. Does this wreck the movie? No. Does it hold the movie back? Unfortunately, yes.

"Leatherheads" is a beautifully crafted film, at times funny and down right fun. But for George Clooney it represents a halfway point in his evolution as a director-a harbinger of better things to come.

Bruce Bulloch may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com