The trailer for "Leatherheads" seems to suggest that it's going to be a romantic comedy. However, the film relies too heavily on screwball comedy and has few romantic scenes, if any. The balance between romance and humor weighs heavily towards the latter, leaving the film shallow, light, and easily forgettable.

For those who have little knowledge of American professional football history, the mid-1920s were a time when football was just becoming a legitimized sport. It was a time, as the movie suggests, before all of the rules were put in place and all the fun was taken out.

Clooney's character, Dodge Connolly, is part of a football team on the brink of bankruptcy. When the cancellation of the team leaves him and his teammates jobless, Connolly devises a plan to legitimize football by convincing "war hero" and college football star Carter Rutherford to join his team, the Duluth Bulldogs.

Unfortunately, Connolly's plan to use Rutherford's fame is jeopardized when ruthless reporter Lexie Littleton enters the scene with a plan to destroy the reputation of Rutherford in exchange for a position as an assistant newspaper editor.

For the rest of the film following their encounter, Littleton and Connolly battle each other with wit and sarcasm. Again, the film falls too heavily on comedy. It appears that the intention may have been to add more romance as Connolly and Littleton's relationship develops, but the two stars can't seem to overcome lack of chemistry.

Some credit can be given to the script for attempting to deliver humorous banter reminiscent of old Cary Grant movies. On the other hand, the lack of chemistry hurts the delivery of the lines.

The plot becomes even more complicated when both Connolly and Rutherford find themselves fighting for Littleton's attention.

As Rutherford, Krasinski does not stretch far from his role as Jim on the popular TV show "The Office." It is slightly distracting to think of his character, Jim, being in "Leatherheads," a movie set in the 1920s, but he adds a little relief from the tension between Littleton and Connolly.

One expects more from Academy Award-winners Clooney and Zellweger. The constant banter between the two is meant to be flirtatious, but the dialogue might have fared better between two different actors. Zellweger seems out of place in her role as the sassy reporter. Clooney, on the other hand, seems comfortable as the charming and attractive goofball type. His character is not much of a stretch from the majority of other roles he has played in the past.

"Leatherheads" creates little excitement and is predictable. It's hard to favor one character over the other, and the viewer will care very little about who comes out on top. This is mostly due to the fact that the characters seem to be indecisive: ruthless and sympathetic toward one another all at once.

The only thing that really stands out in the film is the witty script. Perhaps "Leatherheads" would have been more exciting to read or see as a play than as a two-hour movie.

Overall, it's not really worth the cost of a movie ticket, but possibly worth a rental when it comes out on video.

Plot: C-
Acting: C
Comedy: C+
Overall: C