LEATHERHEADS ***

Produced, directed and starring George Clooney, this sports comedy/romance also stars Renée Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce, and Stephen Root. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language it is one hour and fifty-five minutes long.

Clooney portrays a charming, brash football hero who is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. After the players lose their sponsor due to poor attendance and the entire league faces certain collapse, he convinces a college football star (Krasinski) who is also a war hero to join his ragtag ranks in the hope he will draw crowds. But a spitfire newswoman (Zellweger) suspects there are holes in the stars' military background and is promised an assistant editorship if she can discover and report what they are.

Between the previews and similar type films you've no doubt seen, there's absolutely no mystery in this plot. You know exactly where this is headed within ten minutes. The enjoyability comes from watching Clooney, Zellweger and Krasinski go through their highly polished paces in an entirely delightful manner. You won't believe anything for a minute but it sure is fun watching. Character actors Pryce and Root add to the fun in their roles as a scheming agent, and boozy sports reporter whose stories are all dictated by Clooney, respectively. The dialogue is above average including a few lines that will go right over the heads of many. If you watch closely you can see Randy Newman, who wrote the score around a number of 30's classics, portray a speakeasy piano player who knows how to swing a mean bottle when a brawler comes too near. This is not a film that will be up for awards or on top 100 lists, but it will provide a great deal of entertainment for a couple of hours.