Noted prankster George Clooney is a man who knows how to laugh -- even, or especially, at his own expense.

In "Leatherheads," his character goes to an unemployment agency after (temporarily) losing his job playing football. Asked his age, he opens his eyes wide and wishfully says, "Thirty-eight? ... 39?" The no-nonsense interviewer writes down 45, which is almost on the money.

By today's standards, his Dodge Connolly would be a little long in the tooth to be playing professional football. But it's 1925 and no one's signing contracts worth $102 million or debating grass vs. artificial turf, although they do have their own version of the mud bowl.

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'Leatherheads'

2 1/2 stars = Average
Ratings explained

• Starring: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski
• Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language
• Web site: 'Leatherheads'

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Dodge is a member of the Duluth Bulldogs, who have to forfeit a game when a kid runs off with their football. Yes, they can afford just one. Brawls break out during games, players are paid in cash afterward and they have to hang their wet laundry outside the train windows as they travel to their next contest.

Pro football is on the ropes, but college games are attracting crowds of 40,000, especially when a Princeton standout named Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (John Krasinski) is on the field. He interrupted his studies to fight in World War I and returned a legendary, decorated hero.

And this is where Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger), a tough-talking reporter, enters the picture. An aspiring editor, she is assigned to investigate claims that Carter's war record may be bogus. That's how she meets Dodge, who's recruiting Carter to play for the Bulldogs.

"Leatherheads," named after the helmets worn by the players, tries to recapture the screwball sensibilities of romantic comedies pairing Cary Grant with Katharine Hepburn or Rosalind Russell.

The always enjoyable Clooney is brilliant at spitting out lines with the efficiency of a machine gun, while Zellweger looks the part but seems a little soft around the edges to break the gender barrier in the pressroom or press box. Cate Blanchett, who's already played Hepburn, could have brought more snap to the dialogue.

Krasinski, however, well known to fans of "The Office" as Jim Halpert, captures the Bullet's ease and confidence as college star, would-be lawyer and warrior.

Clooney proves, again, that he can switch from acting to directing full time, should he ever want to. His style, sense of play and love of movies are evident, from his use of newspaper headlines to advance the story to the way the stands are packed with thousands of people in muted colors that makes the scene almost look like a vintage newsreel.

But the story by onetime Sports Illustrated colleagues Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly tries to squeeze a little too much onto the screen. Inspired by the real-life teams that played 31 games a year -- 29 on the road -- and would stop the train if they saw 10 or 20 guys they could challenge for money, the first-time screenwriters are better on the field than off.

They're lucky to have Clooney toss off lines such as, "You're only as young as the women you feel." He's the MVP of this production.

In the end, "Leatherheads" is fun, the way a preseason game might be. You can't take it too seriously, but you can sit back and enjoy the ride.