Lindsey Meeks (Drew Barrymore) is a hyper-successful career woman who changes
her dating habits to go out with Ben Wrightman (Jimmy Fallon), a high school
teacher. Then a problem arises - not infidelity, but baseball. Ben lives and breathes
those perennial losers, the Boston Red Sox. Their city is the Sox to him, but
Lindsey begins to make him question it all. Will their love survive? And more
importantly, is this the year the Sox go all the way?!? Well, we all know the
answer to the last question. To find the answer to the first, watch the movie.

CRITIQUE

Sports films and romantic comedies rarely combine in films but the results can be enjoyable (Wimbledon, The Cutting Edge) or forgettable (The Main Thing). In fact, did I just name the only three sports rom-coms in existence? The plot of such a film must balance both the competition and romantic aspects of the story to effectively engage audience members of both genders. Needless to say, success can mean wide appeal. Directed by the Farrelly brothers. Fever Pitch uniquely spins a sweet romance out of baseball history with an excellent script and performances that satisfy.

Nick Hornby's novel on which the film is based actually focuses on English football (a.k.a. soccer to us Yanks), but a transfer of location also required a new sport. None better than the American pastime and the lead character's beloved losing team had to be the most famous close-but-no-cigar team in baseball. The Boston Red Sox hadn't won a World Series for over 80 years; that is, until last year, as everyone knows. One of the best aspects of this film is that Ben's romantic success, after several affecting scenes, is mirrored by the success of his other passion. The Farrelly brothers were able to actually shoot footage for the end of the film as the Sox won the Series (originally, the team stayed losers, but history changed that). As fans themselves, the directors are able to present material like that and the character of Ben in the most appealing way possible.

The directors also provide nice touches like fade transitions and use of lenses to represent Lindsey's food poisoning in one scene, titles in baseball font, and a montage set to "Sweet Caroline." They also use camera work, mostly movement to good effect, and Toronto stands in well for Boston. The costuming also works, especially when getting out of the jerseys and Sox jackets. Best is the Gatsby birthday party-a-flapper dress and tux for Barrymore and Fallon. Speaking of whom, they have unexpectedly high chemistry and are appealing separately as actors. Fallon has that handsome, normal-guy face that lets his comedic and romantic delivery work. Barrymore, meanwhile, is beyond a veteran by now and only the most hard-hearted would begrudge her continued success when she shines like she does. Longtime screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel's script couldn't have been in better hands. Fever Pitch is a film that scores!

THE VIDEO

Red Sox red comes through brightly in this anamorphic widescreen presentation. The
slightly grainy feel of the final footage shot at the World Series only adds to the ambiance of the film.

THE AUDIO

There are no sound problems here with this disc's Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Spanish and French language tracks are also available and English and Spanish subtitles are as well.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary: The Farrelly brothers provide a nice commentary, with good information on things like using Toronto as Boston and the fact that Barrymore did hurt her tailbone dropping onto the field in the climactic scene. They are also quick to praise others, which is nice, but they spend a great deal of time pointing out bit players and extras and telling who they are. That takes a bit of time away from the more interesting stuff.

Deleted Scenes: 13 scenes are included here, a large number, and most are enjoyable to watch. A couple of them are actual sequences, such as young Ben with his uncle Carl. Only bits of these scenes made it into the finished film, and you'll see some parts that were in the trailer that you didn't see in the film.

Gag Reel: Some gag reels aren't funny, but this one is. Plenty of on-set tomfoolery and bloopers elicit laughs. Short but good.

"Love Triangle" Featurette: A typical studio featurette with interviews and clips. It touches on the idea of baseball being the third part of the love story in the film, but it’s way too short at only 2 minutes, and Fallon isn't included.

"Breaking the Curse" Featurette: This featurette is similar to the one above, and only about half a minute longer. It features discussion on the real life win of the Red Sox at the Series. Again, it’s too short, but at least Fallon appears this time.

"Making a Scene" Featurette: The Fox Movie Channel aired this roughly 8-minute basic behind the scenes doc, including producer interviews and interviews from Red Sox players discussing the filming during their big win.

Theatrical Trailer: I like the trailer for this film, and there are recommendations for more Fox releases.

FINAL THOUGHTS

A good sports romantic comedy should by definition be able to satisfy both genders with its story and be an entertaining film. Fever Pitch is one of these films. Barrymore and Fallon have chemistry and their appealing romance is the backdrop of real-life sports history. The DVD presentation, with good extras, provides a good buy or rental for sports fans, die-hard romantics, or people just looking for an enjoyable film.