Bobby Farrelly – GOAT Film Reviews

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.

Director: Peter Farrelly

Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Charles Rocket, Victoria Rowell, Teri Garr

Screenplay: Peter Farrelly, Bennett Yellin, Bobby Farrelly

107 mins. Rated PG-13 for off-color humor.

1994 was a very good year for films. I may have already discussed this, but I feel like I need to reiterate. 1994 was one of the best years for films in history. From a critical standpoint, we had such classics as Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, and Forrest Gump. From a comedy standpoint, audiences received a hilarious turkey (or triple play) from Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kick-Ass 2) with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb & Dumber. It was a great year.

Dumb & Dumber is a bit of a comedy enigma. The film is far too stupid and outlandish to be good, and yet it is one of the most incredibly perfect comedies ever constructed.

Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) is an idiot. He has just fallen in love at first sight with a woman he doesn’t even know named Mary (Lauren Holly, TV’s NCIS, Spirited Away) and when he finds a briefcase she has lost in an airport terminal, he vows to return it to her. He enlists dog groomer and best friend Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels, TV’s The Newsroom, Good Night and Good Luck) who, like Lloyd, is an idiot, to help him in his quest and make a new name for themselves in the land of opportunity, Aspen. The trouble is, Mary didn’t lose her briefcase, and Lloyd and Harry have entangled themselves in a plot more menacing than either could have anticipated.

The film is made by its performances. Everybody in this movie plays it straight to the book except Carrey and Daniels, and it is made all the more goofy than it should be. We have some incredible supporting work from Mike Starr (TV’s The Young and the Restless, GoodFellas) as a hitman trying to take our lovable morons out of the picture. There is also the terrific late actor Charles Rocket (Dances with Wolves, Hocus Pocus) who is a family friend of Mary’s.

There are some truly laugh-out-loud moments and one-liners that keep this film at the forefront of fans’ minds long after viewing for the zillionth time. I still cringe at the encounter that the dumb-dumbs have with local law enforcement after getting discovered with an open bottle. I still giggle everytime the guy in the diner yells “Kick his ass, Seabass!” and I still find a happy place every time Seabass tries to get revenge on Lloyd in the bathroom stall of a gas station.

To make a long story short, or for that matter, a smart story dumb, Dumb and Dumber is a perfect comedy that belongs in a hall of fame alongside other greats like Tommy Boy and Animal House. It stands the test of time even after twenty years and I can see it living on another few decades.

5/5

-Kyle A. Goethe

Tag: Bobby Farrelly

[Happy 10th Birthday!] Fever Pitch (2005)

Dumb and Dumber (1994)