Dear ol’ George Clooney. When did your directing become so… Coen-esque? This quirky movie set in the 1920s reminded me a little too much of The Hudsucker Proxy. Which, I’m afraid, is better. The premise is the same: sassy go-getter journalist (in this case, Renee Zellweger) is sent to investigate naïve young man (John Krasinski), and in the end, her feelings get in the way.

In this case, it’s sports rather than the invention of the hula hoop, and she doesn’t fall in love with the naïve young man but… it’s a bit similar for my taste.

Still a fun movie though, if you suspend the comparison with the Coen brothers. I know nothing about American football, but the movie wasn’t really heavily focused on that, and the old-timey backdrop is quaint.

So all in all, fun to watch, and quirky and quaint and light. But I’m afraid, George, you are no match for the Coens.

My rating…  6.5
IMDb’s rating… 6.2

Directed by George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck., Confessions of a Dangerous Mind)
Starring George Clooney (Ocean’s 11, Batman & Robin, ER) as Jimmy “Dodge” Connelly
Renee Zellweger (Jerry Maguire, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Miss Potter) as Lexie Littleton
and John Krasinski (Jarhead, The Office, License to Wed) as Carter Rutherford