LeatherheadsMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Leatherheads."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    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. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    More amiable than witty and relying heavily on the likability and charm of its lead actors, Leatherheads scores more points as a retro romantic comedy than a football saga. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    Leatherheads proceeds agreeably, hitting occasional high notes when it isn't getting bogged down in forced slapstick hi-jinks. Read full review

  • 50
    Wall Street Journal |

    There's a jaunty score by Randy Newman, and Clooney, as always, has charm to burn, but here, he's off his game. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    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. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post |

    There's a flatness about the whole enterprise -- like drinking champagne, but from an old house slipper. Re: his performance, Clooney is terrific. His comparison to old movie stars is not just hype. He really does possess the combination of supreme confidence and humility that has been the hallmark of the biggest male Hollywood stars. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    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. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Reproducing a period-piece screwball comedy for a modern audience turns out to be one playful, self-deprecating wink too many for the star, who also directed Leatherheads. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It exudes goodwill and high spirits, occasionally makes you feel really good, and yet here and there and in some definite ways, it kinda sorta stinks. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    What is harder to comprehend is how Mr. Clooney turned out such a sloppy, haphazard and tonally incoherent piece of work. Leatherheads lurches hectically between Coen brothers-style pastiche and John Saylesian didacticism, while Mr. Clooney works his brow and his jaw and waits in vain for his charm to kick in and save the day. Read full review

View more reviews for Leatherheads on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Clooney's football comedy isn't quite a touchdown.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that older tweens and teens may be drawn to this 1920s-set romantic comedy by stars George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski (one of the stars of The Office). It's a fun, fairly tame screwball movie, but it's worth noting that it's set in a time when women were treated as if they weren't equal to men and kids were put to work like adults (and acted like them, too). Also in the name of period accuracy, characters smoke, drink, and swear ("s--t" is the strongest word used). It's all treated with a light touch -- maybe almost too much so; it's frothy and fun, but there's not as much of a bite as it first promises.
  • Families can talk about how Carter's image was shaped. How does Lexie -- and by extension, the media -- change it? Or doesn't she? Who manipulates whom? Can you think of any other press-public figure relationships in the movie that seem distorted? Families can also discuss how football is treated in the movie. Why was college ball so revered but pro football not? Did "classing up" the game ruin it? Last but not least, how does this film seem different from prototypical Hollywood comedies/romantic comedies? How is it similar to them?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Betrayal and deceit are themes that run through the film, since nearly all the leads have a secret up their sleeve. But in the end, they're all quite well-intentioned. A "battle of the sexes" feel permeates here and there.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Men throw punches at each other in bars (breaking glass and bottles and throwing things at each other) and in one all-out, by-the-roadside brawl. Gridiron action as well.
  • sex false0 Sex: Some subtle sexual repartee and a lingering kiss.
  • language false0 Language: Mostly words that evoke the era, including "moxie" and "nuts," though there's a sprinkling of "damn," "goddamn," "hell," and "s--t."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Period-accurate signage everywhere for brands/products like Bromo-Seltzer, Baby Ruth, Beech-Nut cigarettes (which, as an aside, now makes baby food), Coca-Cola, Standard Oil, etc. Also many shots and mentions of the front page of various Chicago newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking in speakeasies (getting soused was outlawed at the time) -- where even children show up. Lots of smoking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

3.0

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Leatherheads Movie Ratings + Reviews

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