After seeing countless coming attractions for Fever Pitch, I was skeptical about the concept of a romantic comedy in which a couple's burgeoning relationship is hindered by the man's insatiable passion for the Red Sox. I had mixed feelings about seeing it. On one hand, you can understand my reluctance -- such a scenario rings a little too close to home for a guy like me. However, I felt almost obliged to go see this movie because the Sox are so central to the plot. Thankfully, tableau invited me to review the movie, thus giving me the perfect excuse to go guilt-free.
To understand my preconceived biases toward this movie, you should also know how tentative I was about the idea of a romantic comedy depicting sports, especially my beloved Sox. But Fever Pitch's use of clips from actual Red Sox games ensured that the on-field action didn't have any poorly directed, unrealistic baseball scenes -- something that always bothers true sports nuts. In fact, the footage of last year's playoffs is legitimately moving, though that's likely more a reflection of my own sentimentality than any product of the directors, Bobby and Peter Farrelly. The movie also does a great deal of on-location shooting both in and around Fenway, as well as other well-known Boston sites, including the brownstones on Commonwealth Avenue.
I've never been a huge fan of Drew Barrymore or Jimmy Fallon, but I was sold on their performances in Fever Pitch. Barrymore is Lindsay Meeks, an ambitious consultant working overtime for a promotion at the expense of her social life. She conveys the "I'm too good for you and too busy to date anyway" persona well, and her character is delightfully quirky and appealing.
Fallon is believable as Ben Rightman, a schoolteacher and passionate Sox fan who lets his love for the team interfere with his daily life.
To be honest, that's normal for most New Englanders. It's also a hefty compliment I'm laying upon him, considering how picky I am on the subject.
In the film, Lindsay falls in love with "winter Ben" whose BoSox obsession is hibernating for the winter though he could have more proudly touted offseason acquisitions.
Otherwise, Ben is living my life, except that he inherited fabulous season tickets right behind the Red Sox dugout.
And that he's dating Drew Barrymore.
But the storyline, which is based on a book by Nick Hornby, is certainly realistic, as I can personally attest to relationships strained by my own ardent allegiance to the Sox.
Most romantic comedies are well organized and plot-driven -- this flick is neither. I'd wager that true film aficionados might be offended at the lack of a sophisticated story and the disjointed storytelling -- Lindsay and Ben's breakup, for instance, is not neatly depicted. The cheesy dialogue radar had only a few blips on it, and I was able to overlook the absence of any significant plot twists. After all, in my eyes, the story of the Red Sox winning the World Series is hard to screw up.
If nothing else, Fever Pitch is a sweet, lighthearted love story which will satisfy lovers of the chick flick; that sports devotion is a central theme of the movie should appeal to guys. So while the people involved with Fever Pitch need not worry about Oscar acceptance speeches, this flick does make for a quality date movie.
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