Fever Pitch (Movie)

Fever Pitch

Drew Barrymore : Lindsey
Jimmy Fallon : Ben

Fever Pitch, the latest effort by the Farrelly brothers, is somewhat disappointing. It’s a story about a woman Lindsey Meeks, played by Drew Barrymore who meets a man Ben, played by Jimmy Fallon, who appears perfect in just about every way. Things are going well in their relationship until Spring rolls around and Lindsey discovers that Ben is an obsessed Red Sox fan.

The Farrelly brothers have attempted to mix romantic comedy with Red Sox obsession and the results are luke warm. The romantic comedy part of the movie never really takes off in part because the script was lacking but also because Barrymore and Fallon have very little chemistry together. I never once was convinced that these two people were really in love.

On the comedic side, the movie also suffers. It appears the Farrelly brothers attempted to “clean up their act” to appeal to a more mainstream audience and lost something in the process. Gone are the strange characters and offensive sight gags so prevalent in their other movies, and in their place are jokes and characters more fitting for a network sitcom. This is a real let down because the Farrelly’s are at their best when they are pushing the envelope.

The movie was pleasant enough and there were a few really funny moments, but it could have been so much more. A story about a girl in love with a man obsessed with the Red Sox has tons of potential but the Farrelly’s never really seem to be able to take full advantage of it. In the end Fever Pitch feels more like a made for TV movie then a theatrical release.

I’m actually going to give this movie two ratings, one for Red Sox fans and people from New England that can relate to what being a fan of the Red Sox is all about and a second for the general public who will be viewing this movie through unfiltered eyes:

7 out of 10 Stars for Red Sox fans

5 out of 10 Stars for everyone else

Posted by Al on 01/10/10 at 10:38 PM in Movies