This sounded nifty: a period comedy about the rowdy origins of professional football, with a Tracy-Hepburn romantic angle (between Clooney and reporter Renee Zellweger) for extra sass. Alas, it has an air that's both slapdash and turgid, overwhelming its director-star's resources of charm. It gets a 15-yard penalty for rough unnecessariness.
Grade: C-