Leatherheads

"Maybe the film loses a little steam as it rolls along, but it is still puffing and tooting as Clooney and Zellweger ride off into the sunset -- on a comically raffish period motorcycle, free as the wind."

"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."

"Clooney is smug and uninteresting as the cynical pro player, and, as the smart reporter, Renée Zellweger's facial muscles are locked in that weird lemon-sucking smirk-pout-grimace."

"This rather melancholy undertone is perhaps the most enjoyable thing about Leatherheads, which is substantially subtler than it makes itself out to be. Dodge and Lexie get the funny lines, but they also have to suffer the fate of smart people in a world ruled by commercial interests -- they can't win, but Clooney and Zellweger radiate intelligence and seem to take pleasure in each other's mental agility. Even when the lines are less than spectacular, the spark between the two actors is knowing and playful."

"On paper it looks like a gem – roaring 20s setting, verbal fireworks and a silly sport in its rude infancy. In practice, it's way off the pace, far too slow for its screwball pretensions and the kind of film that confuses pastiche with period detail."

"Leatherheads doesn't quite cut the mustard, but as long as you can go along with the self-aware cuteness and immersion in antique Americana, it's a fairly enjoyable romp."

"It might not have the laughs or one-liners to live up to its screwball hype or indeed Clooney's past directorial efforts, but Leatherheads is smart and charming enough for George fans."