LEATHERHEADS DECEPTION FATBOY

LEATHERHEADS: If Tom Hanks inherited Hollywood’s mantle of “everyman” from Jimmy Stewart, George Clooney is most certainly this generation’s Cary Grant. Everything from his smug superiority in the Ocean’s films to his screwball turns in the Coen brother’s comedies hearken back to the golden days of the studio system. So it’s no surprise to see Clooney turn back the clock again when he gets behind the camera as well. In Leatherheads he casts himself as “Dodge” Connelly, an over-the-hill professional football player with a plan to give the sport a boost of legitimacy via star college player / war hero Carter Rutherford (John Kraskinski of The Office). Reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) makes for a perfect love triangle as the three compete for each other’s affections and the game winning touchdown. It’s hard to pile on a film like Leatherheads for being too nostalgic when that’s really its whole point for existing. Clooney has proven he’s quite adept as a director and the script by ex-sportswriters Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly has lots of fascinating historical material to work with. But when you tally the final score, between the forced His Girl Friday repartee and wasted supporting cast, Leatherheads seems like a passion project that was more fun for Clooney to make than it is for audiences to watch. Check that out for yourself on the audio / visual commentary which, along with the U-Control feature, makes for a well-presented package on the Universal Blu-ray. RUN, FATBOY, RUN: All hail the “Brit-Com!” It seems our relationship with the mother-country has been up and down ever since the Revolutionary War. But our appreciation for their comedy has never been higher, factoring in the success of Americanized imports like The Office and actors like Simon Pegg, whose own series (Spaced) is rumored to be next on the remake radar. Here, Pegg stars as an out-of-shape layabout who ditches his pregnant bride at the altar, then schemes to win her back from a hunky suitor (The Simpsons Hank Azaria) by winning the London marathon. Fatboy has all the stylings of a traditional UK comedy: barely employed, unambitious main character surrounded by colorful friends set to a vaguely familiar soundtrack of David Bowie songs. With the best of intentions, first-time director David Schwimmer (yup, the one and only Ross of “Ross & Rachel” fame) smoothes many of the rough edges off the story. But by making it more palatable for American audiences he loses the gritty, slang-filled charm that made a surprise hit out of The Full Monty. Only Pegg, who like fellow “It-Brit” of the moment Ricky Gervais can pull off the lovable bastard routine with ease, finishes the movie without breaking a sweat. The Blu-ray commentary is quite a hoot though along with some deleted scenes and outtakes. DECEPTION: The real mystery is why Deception disappeared from theaters before anyone even noticed it starred two of the hottest actors of the moment: Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor. Was it the bland and forgettable title? Vague trailers too afraid to give away plot twists? Or was the studio simply fitting the film with cement shoes and dropping it into the East River hoping no one would notice? Whatever the reason, it’s a shame this entertaining little time-waster barely made a ripple before sinking at the box-office, since it manages to deliver a whopper of a first act set-up before devolving into a series of ‘80s thriller clichés. Jackman plays a suave businessman who initiates shy accountant Ewan McGregor into an anonymous sex club in which the participants share a phone list of potential partners. After falling for one of his one-night-stands, Ewan is blackmailed into stealing from his employers in order to save her life. Slick, stylish and appealing, Deception works wonders for the first 45-minutes, then turns a corner onto implausibility street. McGregor holds his own for the entire running time and love-interest Michelle Williams proves her Oscar nomination wasn’t just a fluke. But Jackman, whose character makes the biggest 180, suffers from a screenplay needed a few more polishes. Fox’s Blu-ray presentation is seeped in beautiful blues and greens, with a number featurettes on the sex club scene and a director’s commentary plus alternate ending.