Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, JoBeth Williams, KaDee Strickland
Screenplay: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
104 mins. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, and some sensuality.
In Fever Pitch, from directors Bobby & Peter Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber To), we see a beautiful romance between Ben (Jimmy Fallon, Whip It, Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star) and a group of men known as the Boston Red Sox. Also, he falls in love with a woman named Lindsey (Drew Barrymore, Donnie Darko, Blended). Lindsey and Ben desperately want to make things work, but Ben just can’t seem to make sacrifices for Lindsey, especially when it comes to his beloved team who hasn’t won a World Series since 1918. As Lindsey tries to balance her time with Ben with his time and the team, tempers start fueling and seek to topple the relationship.
I enjoyed Fever Pitch, especially the timing of the film, which permanently place this film in a historic time frame for the Red Sox (it was being filmed right when the Sox won the 2004 World Series). Jimmy Fallon’s obsessed man-boy isn’t too far of an acting stretch for the comedian, while Drew Barrymore flubs around in an unlikable character. Most of her dialogue comes off as condescending when it really shouldn’t.
The Farrelly’s understand how to wield a camera and tell a fun story, though their recent efforts would persuade otherwise. Fever Pitch is slightly more in line with their earlier work, while not being as laugh-out-loud funny as There’s Something About Mary or Dumb and Dumber. Best of all, the story is accessible. I see a lot of my own frustrations in the film. I am an obsessed individual (not with the Red Sox, mind you, that is a mere fascination). I talk about film constantly. My girlfriend knows this and sometimes she puts up with it to make me happy. In return, I try not to drag to every movie I want to see in the local theater. Compromise. That’s what Fever Pitch is all about.
And it is kind of funny. Kind of.
3/5
-Kyle A. Goethe
For my review of Peter Farrelly’s Dumb and Dumber, click here.
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