''Leatherheads'' is a 2008 American
sports
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
from
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
directed by and starring
George Clooney. The film also stars
Renée Zellweger,
Jonathan Pryce, and
John Krasinski and focuses on the early years of professional
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
. The film was released on April 4, 2008. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed just $41 million against its $58 million budget.
Plot
In 1925, Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly is captain and veteran of the
Duluth
Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
Bulldogs, a struggling professional
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
team. With pro football on the brink of collapse, Dodge is determined to save it. He convinces
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
's football star, Carter "the Bullet" Rutherford, to join the Bulldogs, hoping to capitalize on Carter's fame as a decorated hero of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. As a result, football prospers.
''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' newspaper reporter Lexie Littleton has been assigned to find proof that Carter's war heroics are bogus. However, she soon finds herself in a
love triangle with Dodge and Carter. One night, Carter confesses that the
German army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
platoon surrendered to him by mistake. Carter soon discovers Lexie's agenda, and that she and Dodge shared a kiss. The ensuing fight over Lexie's affections puts her off. Spurred on by the threats of Carter's manager, she decides to publish the story.
The story sparks a firestorm of accusations and reprimands. Carter's manager resorts to shady dealing to cover it up, even bribing the original witness to change his story. Dodge's attempts to legitimize pro football take on a life of their own. The new commissioner of football appointed by the
U.S. Congress, formalizes the game's rules, taking away improvisational antics. In addition, the commissioner takes the responsibility of clearing up the Carter controversy to set an example for the new direction of football.
With the whole world against Lexie, Dodge concocts a ruse; interrupting a private hearing in the commissioner's office, Dodge threatens Carter with a confrontation by his old army comrades. Dodge claims that they are just outside the door, ready to congratulate him for his heroic actions. In truth, the men are Bulldogs in borrowed army uniforms. Carter confesses the truth and the commissioner frees Lexie from printing a retraction. Carter is ordered to simply say he got too much credit for his war actions, but must give a hefty part of his paycheck to the
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
. Carter's conniving manager is banned from football as well. Dodge is warned that if he pulls any old tricks to win the next game, he will lose his place in the league.
Dodge plays in one last game, also against Carter, who has changed sides from Duluth to
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. The rivalry for Lexie's affection spills onto the field. The game does not go well for Dodge, who decides football should be played without rules. Lexie notices that after a brawl, Dodge is missing and with most players covered in mud, no one can tell who is who. There appears to be an interception and Chicago seems to have won, but when the mud is removed it is seen that the player is none other than Dodge, who disguised himself as a Chicago player on the play. The play is changed to a
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
, and the Bulldogs win.
Carter tells Dodge that Dodge is finished playing football and he intends to tell the newspapers the real story about his "capture" of the German soldiers. Dodge argues that the United States needs heroes; Dodge and Carter part on good terms once again.
After the game, Dodge meets up with Lexie and they ride into the sunset on Dodge's
motorbike together. During the end credits, pictures show Dodge and Lexie getting married, Carter donating $10,000 to the American Legion, and Carter's former manager with new clients
Babe Ruth and
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig ( ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941), also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was ...
.
Real-life basis
In an interview on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman'', Clooney mentioned the plot is loosely based on the life and antics of
Johnny 'Blood' McNally. Clooney later explained that "We wanted to call them the Eskimos, but because we were drinking in the movie, the NFL said we couldn't use the actual names." The
Canton Bulldogs was the first successful pro football team, which is why the
Professional Football Hall of Fame is located in
Canton,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
.
Cast
Production
''Leatherheads'' began filming on February 12, 2007. Filming locations mainly included locations in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
, upstate
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
around
Anderson,
Greenville,
Ware Shoals,
Greer and
Travelers Rest, as well as
Boiling Springs and western
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
around
Statesville,
Greensboro and
Winston-Salem, specifically at Hanes Middle School and the Winston-Salem Millennium Center. Additional train scenes were filmed in the Winston-Salem suburb of Tobaccoville, specifically in the community of Donnaha.
The crew and cast headquarters during the Winston-Salem scenes were based in the nearby town of East Bend, in
Yadkin County, North Carolina. The football game scenes at the beginning and at the end of the picture were filmed at Memorial Stadium, near
Central Piedmont Community College in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
, with technical advisor T.J. Troup "teaching them the intricacies of 1920s football so that they look and sound like real players of the era."
Train scenes were filmed at the
North Carolina Transportation Museum in
Spencer, North Carolina and The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, TN. Filming wrapped in mid-May 2007. After initially being set for release in December 2007, the studio moved the release date to April 4, 2008.
On March 24,
George Clooney and
Renée Zellweger premiered the film in
Maysville, Kentucky, birthplace of Clooney's father and aunt,
Nick Clooney and
Rosemary Clooney. Clooney and Zellweger visited Duluth to promote the film.
The piano player bent over the tack piano with eyes glued to music is the composer of the original music in this film, Oscar-winning songwriter
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...
. The
George and
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...
song "
The Man I Love" is sung in the film but the song was not extant in 1925. It was "part of the 1927 score for the Gershwin antiwar musical satire ''
Strike Up the Band''".
Reception
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $12.6 million in 2,769 theaters in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, ranking No. 3 at the box office behind the second weekend of ''
21'' and fellow newcomer ''
Nim's Island'', below the expectations of
Universal Studios.
Viewers in their 50s to 80s were the main audience for the film.
[ As of October 2013, the movie had made about $31.2 million from the United States and Canada and $10.1 million from other markets making a global total of
$41.3 million. The budget for the film was $58 million.]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 5.81/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Despite a good premise and strong cast, this pro football romcom is half screwball and half fumble." On Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore
CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data.
Background
Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "C+" on scale of A+ to F.
Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' wrote: "''Leatherheads'' is most on its game when it's in the game, and in the zone of Clooney's no-bull affection for the faces of his actors."
Kirk Honeycutt of ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote: "Clooney, the film's director and star, can't make up his mind how to approach the story. One minute it's a romantic comedy. Then it switches to slapstick, then to screwball comedy before sliding into Frank Capra territory."
Todd McCarthy of '' Variety'' wrote: "Arch and funny in equal measure, this looks like a theatrical non-starter that Clooney fans and football devotees might be tempted to check out down the line on DVD or on the tube."
Writing credits
In 2007, a Writers Guild of America arbitration vote decided not to award Clooney a screen credit for the film, preferring to credit only the original writers, longtime ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' columnist Rick Reilly and his former magazine colleague, Duncan Brantley. In response to the WGA's ruling, Clooney resigned his full WGA status to go " financial core" within the guild, meaning that while still technically a member, he only has limited rights. While he did not contest the ruling of the WGA, Clooney said that he did not want to exclude Brantley and Reilly, agreeing that they deserved the first position credit for their work, but felt that his "major overhaul" of the 17-year-old script to turn it into a screwball comedy
Screwball comedy is a film subgenre of the romantic comedy genre that became popular during the Great Depression, beginning in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1950s, that satirizes the traditional love story. It has secondary charact ...
left only two of the original scenes intact.
Co-producer Grant Heslov stated that he thought the guild "made the wrong decision," saying, "This script that Duncan and Rick wrote sat languid until after we finished '' Good Night, and Good Luck''... George liked ''Leatherheads'' but said it never felt quite right. He took it to Italy with him, and I remember when he called to say he thought he'd solved it. One thing that you clearly see, if you read the original, the subsequent drafts and then his draft, is that he wrote the majority of the film... We both thought Duncan and Rick would get first position credit, which they deserved. But this wasn't right."
Paul Attanasio also did uncredited re-writes on the film prior to Clooney taking over.
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Films directed by George Clooney
2008 films
American football films
American romantic comedy films
2008 romantic comedy films
American sports comedy films
Films scored by Randy Newman
Films set in the 1920s
Films set in Chicago
Films set in Minnesota
Films shot in Charlotte, North Carolina
Films shot in Greensboro, North Carolina
Films shot in North Carolina
Films shot in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Films shot in South Carolina
Films shot in Tennessee
Universal Pictures films
Smokehouse Pictures films
Films produced by Grant Heslov
Films produced by Casey Silver
Films with screenplays by George Clooney
Films produced by George Clooney
Films produced by Sydney Pollack
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
English-language sports comedy films
Duluth Eskimos
English-language romantic comedy films