Fever Pitch

"Where do the Sox rank in terms of importance in your life?"
"I say the Red Sox... sex... and breathing."

Ben (Fallon) has a problem: he loves the Red Sox. His apartment is filled with Red Sox paraphernalia (sheets, wallpaper, bobble head players, Yankees toilet paper, etc) and he gets season tickets to their games. He follows the team to preseason training in Florida, and talks the Sox with his buddies. His alter ego is a high school math teacher, and during a field trip (on the off-season) he meets Lindsey (Barrymore). Lindsey is dedicated to her career and very successful. There is an instant attraction, and they begin dating.

Things seem to be going well, their respective friends are impressed, but Lindsey's friends warn her that there has to be something wrong. Prior to the season beginning Ben reveals his relationship with the Sox, but Lindsey thinks they can juggle their respective relationships: Ben and the Sox and Lindsey and her career (a big promotion is on the horizon). But can Ben ever love anyone as much he loves the Sox.

I like some baseball films despite not knowing much about the actual sport. I don't have a favorite baseball team (but I can name players on the Phillies) and have never really been interested in this sport. I can quote extensively from "The Sandlot" (BEST! BASEBALL! MOVIE! EVER!), but that is the extent of my baseball knowledge. With that in mind, I like this film. I don't know much about the Sox (although one of my college roommates was a major Yankees fan), but I found myself cheering for them through this film (even though I did know the outcome of the big game).

Jimmy Fallon, fresh off his first film and first flop "Taxi," and Drew Barrymore hit it out of the park (apparently I'm using baseball analogies now ::sigh::). It is a traditional chick flick, but with sports...or as a friend describes it "a chick flick for guys." The ending is predictable, but the leads have chemistry and are interesting characters. It is cool that the Sox won the year they were filming this...it adds to the story, although I do wonder what the writers planned to do without the victory over Yankees.

Fever Pitch (2005) 103 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, and some sensuality
Director: Bobby and Peter Farrelly
Starring: Drew Barrymore as Lindsey
Jimmy Fallon as Ben
Willie Garson as Kevin
Evan Helmuth as Troy
Armando Riesco as Gerard
Ione Skye as Molly
KaDee Strickland as Robin
Marissa Jaret Winokur as Sarah