Leatherheads

(2008) ** 1/2 Pg-13
114 min. Universal Pictures. Director: George Clooney. Cast: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski, Wayne Duvall, Jonathan Pryce.
With Leatherheads, director-producer-star George Clooney clearly has in mind a "Golden Age of Movies" pastiche like The Hudsucker Proxy, made by his Oscar-winning buddies the Coen Brothers. But lacking that film's lunatic energy and furtive genius, Clooney's picture is all dressed up and goes pretty much nowhere. Its too-simple story repeatedly makes the point that rules are ruining the game of football in 1925, when college football was more successful than the scrappy pros. In and of itself, this world is a fun place to spend a couple of hours, and the music (by Randy Newman), costumes, and production design deliver. But Clooney and John Krasinski as the players and Renée Zellweger as their investigative reporter love interest seem at sea with a laugh-deficient script.
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