Trying to score on and off the football field

Don't be fooled by the advertising. Just because "Leatherheads" looks, feels and smells like a wacky romantic comedy, that doesn't mean it isn't also a football flick. Sure the film, opening April 4, features 1920s gridiron stars, played by George Clooney and "The Office"s" John Krasinski, fighting for the affections of tough-as-nails newspaper reporter Renée Zellweger. But it's also filled with the genre touches that have made the football film a favorite with audiences: downtrodden, or underachieving, guys who have to prove their worth by opening up a big can of whup-tail on the field of glory.

BY LEWIS BEALE

March 27, 2008