Grab a hotdog and bust out the foam finger because “Fever Pitch” is a homerun.
The latest creation from Farrelly brothers (Peter and Bobby Farrelly) is the kind of romantic comedy that audiences have been aching for since “There’s Something About Mary” and “50 First Dates.”
Jimmy Fallon (Saturday Night Live) plays Ben Wrightman, a math teacher and Red Sox fanatic. Drew Barrymore (50 First Dates, Ever After) plays workaholic Lindsey Meeks.
The film chronicles the relationship of Wrightman and Meeks, which in turn parallels the Red Sox curse-breaking season.
A perfect mix of comedy and romance, “Fever Pitch” has the audience rooting for the romantic couple without sending them into a sugar-induced coma before the ending credits.
Fallon and Barrymore are the perfect comedic team. When Fallon cracks jokes, Barrymore reacts to them with the ease of experience. But it is Fallon that shines in this film. Not only is he a Saturday Night Live comedian, but a versatile actor who can cry and pull off a serious scene in the same league of baseball movie veteran Kevin Costner (Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game).
The audience roared at the jokes, physical humor and mishaps and “awed” at poignant moments that give the film a sincerity that is essential in all romantic comedies.
Originally, Meeks is touched by Wrightman’s love for a team, “There is good in your soul to invest in something you can’t control,” Meeks said.
But hilarity ensues when Meeks realizes the extent of Wrightman’s love for the Red Sox when she sees him on ESPN at spring training in Florida. When asked how important the team is to his life he replies, “Red Sox, sex, breathing”
Nothing can stay perfect in the relationship of a romantic comedy couple. Naturally, Meeks becomes jealous of the team that has held the heart of Wrightman since his uncle took him to Fenway Park to meet the Green Monster when he was seven, and a team that has broken the hearts of fans since it traded the Great Bambino (Babe Ruth) in December 1919.
There is nothing cursed or predictable about the journey the main characters travel. There is something magical about a relationship that has all the ups and downs of the Red Sox miracle season, complete with clips from the actual games.
Fever Pitch is a film even a Yankees fan could love.
Opening day is Friday.
