Fever Pitch

1996 Comedy

A football fan tries to reconcile his obsessive love of the game with his job, his romantic relationships, and his life in general in this comedy/drama. Since he was a child in North London, Paul Ashworth (Colin Firth) has been a loyal fan of the Arsenal football team; he attended many a match with his father as a child, especially after his parents divorced, and Arsenal's annual season is one of the few emotional anchors in his life. Now in his mid-30s, Paul teaches English at a state-run school and has become involved with Sarah (Ruth Gemmell), a fellow member of the school staff. While she's pretty, bright, and in nearly all ways a good catch, Sarah doesn't care for football. This lack of interest unfortunately shows itself at a time when Arsenal seems poised to win their first championship in 18 years, and Paul hopes to buy a house near their stadium to make it easier to attend home games. When Sarah becomes pregnant and the long-term stability of their relationship becomes a crucial issue, she forces Paul to decide what he loves more: Sarah and their baby, or Arsenal? For Paul, the answer isn't as simple as one might imagine, as he weighs the joys and responsibilities of adulthood against the passionate enthusiasm that sustained him through his youth. Fever Pitch was based on the semi-autobiographical book by Nick Hornby, who has a cameo as a football coach. more..

Director: David Evans

Starring: Colin Firth, Bea Guard, Neil Pearson, Ruth Gemmell, Luke Aikman

Reviews

  • Vastly superior to the small and independent films that have come out during the last six months.

    Jonathan Foreman - New York Post

    19 January 2013

  • If you don't operate on the premise that soccer is the most important thing in the universe, you might not go along with everything in Fever Pitch.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • The story is unmemorable, but the characters are engaging and their predicaments are all too recognizable.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    19 January 2013

  • It's an amiable enough picture, and genuinely insightful about the emotional appeal of devoted fandom.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

  • Just because a first-person analysis of a sociocultural phenomenon is fascinating in print, it should not necessarily be turned into a movie.

    - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

Awards

No awards