Fever Pitch

2005′s Fever Pitch is actually a remake of a 1997 British film of the same name and is loosely based on a novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The original 1997 film and the novel used football or soccer as the central theme, whereas 2005′s Fever Pitch obviously used baseball to more ably capture the American market. A Canadian version involving a rabid Toronto Maple Leafs fan was scrapped because test audiences found the notion of a Leafs fan actually having a girlfriend to be too unrealistic. I kid, I kid!

Fever Pitch follows a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, Ben Wrightman (Jimmy Fallon), as he enters a relationship with a career-minded woman, Lindsey Meeks (Drew Barrymore). Wrightman is obsessed with the Red Sox and sooner or later his obsession begins to take over his relationship with Meeks, creating some interesting moments centered around themes of making choices in life and having unhealthy obsessions. The use of baseball is merely an example of the possibility of having many stumbling blocks in human relationships, of course. Meeks’ career is lightly focused on as having the same effect, as scenes of her constantly being on her cell phone or on her laptop contrast Wrightman’s baseball obsession.

Fallon and Barrymore are charming enough, but the chemistry between the two never really takes off too much. Opening scenes from their first date are cute, with Fallon’s Wrightman taking care of a sick date and even cleaning her toilet and hilariously brushing her dog’s teeth. The film heads from there into the typical montage footage of Wrightman continuing to win Meeks over and Meeks talking to her gaggle of female friends that try to figure out why a guy like Wrightman – who we’re supposed to believe is some alarmingly attractive and perfect “catch” – is still single. Eventually, of course, she finds out that it’s because of his baseball obsession and his inability to choose his relationship over the beloved Red Sox.

Scenes are the game are also charming and inviting, as Wrightman’s “summer family” are introduced. Along with the film’s flashback intro, we really get a sense of how tightly knit a family of fans can actually be and how something like the game of baseball can serve as an ultimate unifier of very diverse people. When Wrightman attempts to sell his tickets after years of watching games at Fenway, his summer family berate him and plead with him as though they are losing a brother. In that way, Fever Pitch is engagingly human and gives us an accurate glimpse into sports fan mentality and how “being there” is among the many thrills in life. It’s also a simple meditation on obsession of any kind, whether it’s a sports team or career aspirations, and how we all have choices to make in terms of our priorities.

In that respect, Fever Pitch really works. As a comedy, it doesn’t particularly click. The film was made by the Farrelly brothers (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin), but none of that contagious comedic energy was there. It was definitely a departure for the Farrelly brothers, one that could be seen as either a good thing or a bad thing. Quite frankly, I was surprised to discover that Fever Pitch was a Farrelly brothers film at the end credits. Still, I can’t fault it because I was surprised. I’m just not convinced it worked as a comedy on many levels because the comedic energy was lacking. A more apt describer for Fever Pitch would be “cute”.

Fever Pitch is not about baseball. It is about, as Roger Ebert puts it eloquently, “how men and women, filled with love and motivated by the best will in the world, simply do not speak the same emotional language”. It is a rather elegant meditation on human relationships and the obstacles that we place in the way of our own happiness. Fever Pitch is charming enough to carry that responsibility, yet lacks a truly enigmatic lead in Fallon and misrepresents itself as a comedy. It’s a cute enough date movie that teaches people about compromise and relationships between adults, but it’s not much more than that.

Trailer: