What’s this?! A review of a movie that’s still in theaters?! Can’t be!

Yep. Tammy and I made a trip to the Movie Tavern for the opening night of Leatherheads.

I should start off by saying that I have never liked George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. They are not actors according to my definition of the word. They are warm bodies that are able to speak words someone else has written. Actors, by contrast, are able to portray a character other than themselves in a convincing manner. (See Depp, Hanks, etc.) Clooney and Zellweger make obscene amounts of money by playing Clooney and Zellweger, just with different costumes. And even though I’m a huge fan of The Office, I’d have to say that John Krasinski portrayed very much the same guy as a 1920’s college football star as he does as a 2008 sales rep for Dunder Mifflin.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed the movie. It was superbly directed and shot. Everything outside of the three main actors was very convincing for a period piece. It was laugh-out-loud funny throughout and still had a good message. One thing that I really appreciated about it was how clean it was… right up until the “you can’t say that on the radio” bit near the end, a gag that was contrived and unnecessary.

Much like watching a superhero flick, when you watch a period comedy like this one, you have to allow a certain amount of suspended disbelief. This is not a historical documentary. If you’re the type to stand up in the theater and shout that the NFL didn’t have a commissioner until 1941, then you’d better watch something else.

Over all this is a fun show and I’d be willing to watch it with the kids in my youth group. Maybe not “family-friendly” but well inside the safety of PG-13. I give it three grins.