"C+" Rating by Robert W. Hammerle

Seeing a movie several weeks after its initial release can be both a blessing and a curse. When word of mouth uniformly praises a film (i.e., "The ending will make you stand up and cheer"), you are inevitably set up for disappointment. Simply stated, seldom can a movie meet great expectations, and it is unfair to expect it to do so.

Conversely, when a movie is largely dismissed, you can go without expectations of any kind. To the contrary, anticipating that the film will largely be a flop, you frequently come away saying something to the effect, "You know, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be."

And that is precisely why I did not find George Clooney's "Leatherheads" to be the semi-disaster I anticipated. Quite frankly, if you could eliminate the actual football scenes, the interplay between Clooney and Renee "Pucker lips" Zellweger reminded me of the witty banter between Cary Grant and Rosiland Russell in the classic "His Girl Friday" (1940).

Unfortunately, it is rather hard to discount the football sequences in "Leatherheads" since this was, after all, a football movie! And therein lies the ultimate failure of this otherwise modestly entertaining film.

It is hard to imagine what Clooney was thinking when he filmed these pedestrian football scenes. Lacking imagination or realism of any kind, they simply repeat the same scene over and over again. Devoid of any suspense, they were incredibly, in one word, dull.

To compound problems, Clooney's fight sequences with co-star John Krasinski were equally unrealistic. If the two of them were going to engage in a drunken, bare knuckle brawl, then at least they should have suffered a few cuts, not to mention missing some teeth. Sadly, however, both repeatedly emerged without a scratch. As a director, Clooney didn't seem to care, a feeling the audience will probably share about most of this film.

But even given its shortcomings, there is no denying that Clooney has some wonderful comedic talents. Many, including me, have been waiting for the second coming of Cary Grant. And like Grant, Clooney is incredibly handsome, suave, funny and yet vulnerable.

Sure, this film is largely a disappointment. But on the upside, the legendary Mr. Grant didn't bat 100% either. I didn't' hold "Ocean's Twelve" (2004) against him, and I'm willing to forgive him this little mis-step also.