Fever Pitch

2005 Drama

Nick Hornby's acclaimed memoir about one man's struggle to balance his love of a woman and his love for soccer was the basis of a well-reviewed British film in 1997, and now gets a Americanized rewrite with this picture, in which the game is changed from soccer to baseball. Ben (Jimmy Fallon) is a high-school teacher who meets Lindsay (Drew Barrymore), who has a successful career in business. Ben and Lindsay don't appear to have much in common on the surface, but they hit it off and are soon involved in a serious romance. But when spring rolls around, Lindsay becomes aware of the true love of Ben's life -- the Boston Red Sox. Despite the team's lamentable record, Ben has been a fiercely loyal Red Sox fan since childhood, and Lindsay finds it hard to compete with his passion for baseball, while Ben is forced to choose between the obsessions of his youth and the enthusiasms of a responsible adult. Fever Pitch was shot in part in Boston during the 2004 baseball season, which to the surprise of the filmmakers saw the Red Sox winning baseball's world series for the first time since 1918. more..

Director: Bobby Farrelly

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, Jason Spevack, Jack Kehler, Scott H. Severance

Reviews

  • It's been a while since a movie made the game of love this winning.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • The movie has been directed by the Farrelly brothers...Here, they're sensitive and warm-hearted, never push too hard, empathize with the characters, allow Lindsey and Ben to become people we care about.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Sweet and often hilarious.

    Carina Chocano - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • By contrast, other Hornby screen adaptations are "About a Boy" and "High Fidelity"- superb comedies both and, in Fidelity's case, a treatise on male obsession with far more depth and even more laughs.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • Still, despite the visual clumsiness and the production's tattered seams, I found myself rooting for this movie anyway, partly because Lindsey and Ben make a nice fit, as do the actors playing them, partly because the Farrellys bring so much heart to their movies, and partly because Ms. Barrymore inspires more goodwill than any other young actress I can think of working today in American movies.

    Manohla Dargis - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best International Actress

    Irish Film and Television Awards (2005)

     
  • Favorite Movie Actress

    Kids' Choice Awards (2006)

     
  • Choice Date Movie

    Teen Choice Awards (2005)