"Leatherheads" (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

In 1925, professional football was in its infancy, and when Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly (Clooney) and his team, the Duluth Bulldogs, lose their sponsor (Perennial Starch), they have to find another way to keep the team alive.

Dodge discovers that a Princeton football player, Carter Rutherford (Krasinski), is a huge draw because he was a hero in WW-I, so he approaches Carter's promotor, C.C. Frazier (Pryce), with a deal to really make pro ball a big financial success. The Bulldogs sign Rutherford and start turning what was just practically a backyard rumble into a huge business.

Meanwhile, Lexie Littleton (Zellweger), a reporter for the Chicago Daily Tribune, believes that Rutherford's exploits in WW-I are fabricated, and she tries to uncover this fact while seemingly supporting the team and tagging along at the games.

Lexie falls in love with Dodge, and now must consider what will happen to his team if she uncovers the truth about Rutherford.

Commentary

The movie was a huge flop at the box office. The story is actually rather entertaining, so there is no particular reason for its failure, but Zellweger does overact, making her scenes a bit more dramatic than they should be.

Technical

The picture quality is a bit grainy because so much of the story was shot in underlit interiors. The sound was a bit harsh. No fault of the DTS, I think it was just the original track.

Extras

Not much here, except a director's commentary.