By Delia Paunescu

George Clooney has some bizarre hold over Hollywood. With his sly grin and confident (read: cocky) demeanor, the wonder boy has waltzed in middle-agedom without having to justify his staunchly bachelor lifestyle or interesting career choices.

And now Clooney’s directed his second movie. The first being “Good Night and Good Luck,” a black and white, McCarthy-era biopic for which he won several Oscars including Best Director. But “Leatherheads” has the aging heartthrob taking on a slightly less serious topic: the beginning of organized football.

Set in the roaring ’20s where cash flowed freely and booze did not, the film tells the story of Dodge Connelly (Clooney), a (surprise) middle-aged footballer who’s skills on the field are matched only by his sly wit and mischievous smile. When his team loses funding, Connelly ropes in college star and war hero Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski, of “Office” fame) to play for this bankrupt team.

Meanwhile, back at the news office, feisty female reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is assigned to make nice with Rutherford in hopes of figuring out whether his valor in the Great War is just a big hoax. The three end up on a train together and the love triangle only tightens from there.

The film then sets out to expose Rutherford’s dirty little wartime secret and perhaps reach our social conscience with such lines as, “We wanted a war hero so badly we went out and made one up.” But amongst the beautiful choreography and Clooney’s talented directing (yes, it’s true), any moral lesson from writers Duncan Brantley and Rick Riley seems stifling and is quickly ignored. Even the blatant inclusion of flasks in just about every other shot has audiences focusing on the Hudson-Day chemistry between Zellweger and Clooney.

Zellweger embodies a sort of jazz age femme fatale. While her newspaperwoman is nowhere near as big a parody as Jennifer Jason Leigh’s in “The Hudsucker Proxy,” Littleton still manages to enthrall everyone she encounters, wearing all red while she does it.

Krasinski is still cute as a button, bringing the same charm to Rutherford that he does to Jim Halpert every week on “The Office.” But as much as his agent is pushing to get him in the spotlight-hopefully one better than his “License to Wed” flop-perhaps this role was not the best choice for the Brown alum.

Rutherford is an over-confident star athlete with too much praise and recognition than he knows what to do with aside from fill his big head. His secret from the war and the fact that he lives with it for so long should make him a dirty, lying bastard. Yet fans of NBC’s weekly sitcom who enjoy Krasinski’s lovable smirk and blue eyes that glimmer with just a hint of tomfoolery will forgive the darling actor anything, ultimately forgetting that Rutherford is the film’s antagonist.

And then there’s Clooney who plays, well, Clooney. There’s little difference between Connelly and Danny Ocean save for the costuming.

By far Randy Newman’s soundtrack is the true gem of this film. Without it, Zellweger’s feisty Littleton would have nothing to strut to and the movie would certainly seem more flat. Even though Newton Thomas Sigel’s cinematography comes in a close second-“Leatherheads” seems to have been shot onlyBy Delia Paunescu

Senior Entertainment Editor

George Clooney has some bizarre hold over Hollywood. With his sly grin and confident (read: cocky) demeanor, the wonder boy has waltzed in middle-agedom without having to justify his staunchly bachelor lifestyle or interesting career choices.

And now Clooney’s directed his second movie. The first being “Good Night and Good Luck,” a black and white, McCarthy-era biopic for which he won several Oscars including Best Director. But “Leatherheads” has the aging heartthrob taking on a slightly less serious topic: the beginning of organized football.

Set in the roaring ’20s where cash flowed freely and booze did not, the film tells the story of Dodge Connelly (Clooney), a (surprise) middle-aged footballer who’s skills on the field are matched only by his sly wit and mischievous smile. When his team loses funding, Connelly ropes in college star and war hero Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski, of “Office” fame) to play for this bankrupt team.

Meanwhile, back at the news office, feisty female reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) is assigned to make nice with Rutherford in hopes of figuring out whether his valor in the Great War is just a big hoax. The three end up on a train together and the love triangle only tightens from there.

The film then sets out to expose Rutherford’s dirty little wartime secret and perhaps reach our social conscience with such lines as, “We wanted a war hero so badly we went out and made one up.” But amongst the beautiful choreography and Clooney’s talented directing (yes, it’s true), any moral lesson from writers Duncan Brantley and Rick Riley seems stifling and is quickly ignored. Even the blatant inclusion of flasks in just about every other shot has audiences focusing on the Hudson-Day chemistry between Zellweger and Clooney.

Zellweger embodies a sort of jazz age femme fatale. While her newspaperwoman is nowhere near as big a parody as Jennifer Jason Leigh’s in “The Hudsucker Proxy,” Littleton still manages to enthrall everyone she encounters, wearing all red while she does it.

Krasinski is still cute as a button, bringing the same charm to Rutherford that he does to Jim Halpert every week on “The Office.” But as much as his agent is pushing to get him in the spotlight-hopefully one better than his “License to Wed” flop-perhaps this role was not the best choice for the Brown alum.

Rutherford is an over-confident star athlete with too much praise and recognition than he knows what to do with aside from fill his big head. His secret from the war and the fact that he lives with it for so long should make him a dirty, lying bastard. Yet fans of NBC’s weekly sitcom who enjoy Krasinski’s lovable smirk and blue eyes that glimmer with just a hint of tomfoolery will forgive the darling actor anything, ultimately forgetting that Rutherford is the film’s antagonist.

And then there’s Clooney who plays, well, Clooney. There’s little difference between Connelly and Danny Ocean save for the costuming.

By far Randy Newman’s soundtrack is the true gem of this film. Without it, Zellweger’s feisty Littleton would have nothing to strut to and the movie would certainly seem more flat. Even though Newton Thomas Sigel’s cinematography comes in a close second-“Leatherheads” seems to have been shot only on freakishly sunny days-Newman’s well-known ragtime is perfect for the jazz age speakeasies.

And perhaps it the sneaky fun of back alley bars that has also kept audiences drawn to Clooney for so long. Certainly

“Leatherheads” is no Oscar winner, but with actors as likeable as these, it’ll do for a fun night at the movies. on freakishly sunny days-Newman’s well-known ragtime is perfect for the jazz age speakeasies.

And perhaps it the sneaky fun of back alley bars that has also kept audiences drawn to Clooney for so long. Certainly

“Leatherheads” is no Oscar winner, but with actors as likeable as these, it’ll do for a fun night at the movies.

(allmoviephoto.com)

(allmoviephoto.com)