Mutant Reviewers from Hell do
"You love the Red Sox, but have they ever loved you back?"

2005 PG-13 / Comedy Romance Directed by: Farrelly Brothers Starring: Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, Ione Skye

Tagline

A Comedy About The Game Of Love.

Summary Capsule

A work-obsessed girl hooks up with a Sox-obsessed boy... there might be kisses, folks.

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Amazon.com: DVD

Justin's Rating: 'Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're OUT
Justin's Review: Everyone understands passions and obsessions.  We all have them — in varying degrees in comparison to each other, but we all do have them.  For some, it's promptness and organization.  For others, it's sitting bare-chest naked on the 50-yard line of a field watching hefty men throw a misshapen ball to and fro.  For me, I'd say mine are (in this order) my God, my wife, movies (and MRFH), reading and video games.  Silly Putty comes in a distant sixth.

"Plus, there's a cameo by Stephen King, who only kills three babies on screen and devours them whole."

Fever Pitch is a movie about passions, both the good side and the bad side of them.  When we fall passionately in love with something, we run the risk of becoming blind to dangers and open to being hurt by that which we love. 

Profound, Professor Justin.  Do, tell us more.

Oh, shut up, subconscious.

I've got to say, up front, that this movie didn't exactly rock my world.  However, it had enough flavor to leave me vaguely satisfied (my wife moreso, since her passion is romance novels and movies)  It's based on a novel by Nick Hornby (who also wrote High Fidelity and About A Boy), directed by the Farrelly brothers (There's Something About Mary), and centered around the miraculous 2004 Red Sox season.  Plus, there's a cameo by Stephen King, who only kills three babies on screen and devours them whole.  Fever Pitch possessed a mild, pleasant flavor, indeed, but ultimately it wasn't too funny to be considered a great comedy, and the romantic storyline was a little too typical in setup and execution to be considered touching.

Lindsey (Drew Barrymore) is an executive with little time for anything but her work; Ben (Jimmy Fallon) is a schoolteacher with little time for anything but his beloved Red Sox.  They meet, they date, they fall in love... and then the interesting stuff begins.  For Ben is not just a passing fan of the Sox — he's a full-fledged cult member with the secret decoder ring and everything.  His entire apartment is a shrine to the team (even though they hadn't won a World Series since 1918), and his entire year revolves around the season and seeing every game at home.  As their worlds slowly collide with all the force of two bulls headbutting at thirty miles an hour, their relationship is strained on every level.  Well, at least one level: what's more important to each of them, their previous passion or their new-found romance?

It's kinda funny and kinda sweet, but again, nothing revolutionary.  Barrymore has lost the cuteness and curves that used to make me fall in love with her, and Fallon constantly looks like someone just hit him in the temple with a rubber mallet five seconds previous.  I didn't care too much whether they'd get back together after the obligatory downfall of the relationship, or really enjoy their other friends and conversations.  This sort of thing has been done much, much better in both the writer's and the directors' previous works, so comparison doesn't do anyone any favors here.

That left me with the most interesting part of the movie, the miraculous 2004 Red Sox season where the Sox pulled off two major victories: they won the pennant after being down 0-3 in the playoffs (something no team has done in over 100 years), and they won the world series.  The funny thing was, this miraculous season forced the movie itself to change — the filmmakers worked on the assumption that the Sox lost as they always did.  Whoops!  As the movie is set against the season, but isn't really about it, it was distracting to expect the attention of the film to be redevoted to the climax of the season instead of the passion in the loins of Ben and Lindsey.  It felt like I was craning my head around the romance and trying to get to the good stuff.

But hey, if the story about Red Sox addiction and this season interested you, I'd direct your attention to Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King's book Faithful, where these two fans chronicled their 2004 season viewing experiences.

Makes you feel like killing them, stuffing their heads and using them as bookends, doesn't it? One of these girls is the lead chick from Say Anything! No, it's not a bike. I really, really would not be friends with this guy.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Definitely, if you like to party — lots of fun little stuff included!

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

On 27 October 2004, Game 4 of the 2004 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, the finale of this film was shot. After the last play of the game in the bottom of the ninth during the Red Sox celebration, stars Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon were filmed also celebrating together on the field. A brief shot of the filming could be seen live on the Fox broadcast of the World Series. Rewrites by the Farrelly brothers had to be done immediately following the World Series game 7 clincher of the ALCS against the New York Yankees to include the historic 2004 Boston Red Sox post-season.

The Opening Day sequence was filmed on 4 September 2004 with Stephen King throwing out the first pitch; the Red Sox lost that game, ending a ten-game winning streak and King was blamed for it in the Boston Globe.

This film is loosely based on author Nick Hornby's autobiographical account of his fanatical obsession with soccer while growing up.

Groovy Quotes

Ryan: You love the Red Sox, but have they ever loved you back?

Lindsey: So you don't have a cell phone, a pager, a blackberry nothing? What if some sudden crisis occurs like your father has a heart attack or something?
Ben: My father died two years ago.
Lindsey: Oh, I'm sorry.
Ben: No, actually I just found out this morning so it's been a rough 24 hours. You know, maybe I should get a cell phone.

Lindsey: If you love me enough to sell your tickets, I love you enough not to let you.

Reporter at Spring Training: Where do the Sox rank in terms of importance in your life?
Ben: I say the Red Sox... sex... and breathing.

Lindsey: You can't sell your tickets!
Ben: That's why you ran across the whole field?... Wait, you've got to tell me - was it spongy?

Stephen King: Hey Ref, get off your knees. You're blowing the game!

If you liked this movie, try these:

• There's Something About Mary
• The Wedding Singer
• Major League