Pitch Perfect
FEVER PITCH

RATING: B

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, Kadee Strickland, Ione Skye, Marissa Janet Winokur, JoBeth Williams, James B. Sikking. Music by Craig Armstrong, Edited by Allan Baumgarten, Production Designer Maher Ahmad, Produced by Alan Greenspan, Amanda Posey, Gil Netter, Drew Barrymore, Nancy Juvonen, Bradley Thomas, Based on the Book by Nick Hornby, Screenplay by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel, Directed by Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly.

Rated PG-13, Running Time 101 mins., 2.39 to 1 Anamorphic Scope Aspect Ratio.

The Farrelly Brothers’ latest picture “Fever Pitch” couldn’t come at a better time, when so many comedies rely on gross humor and unrealistic comedic situations that it’s become nearly impossible to tell them apart. When Lindsey (Drew Barrymore) meets Ben (Jimmy Fallon), a ninth grade math teacher on a field trip to her workplace, she feels that maybe she’s finally found that special someone. A workaholic business consultant, Lindsey has had little time for romance, so when Ben comes into her life he’s like a breath of fresh air. He’s witty, intelligent and even manages to rescue their embarrassing first date after it begins with a sick Lindsey kneeling before a porcelain throne. Ben’s engaging personality is a hit with Lindsey’s girlfriends, but they can’t help wonder if perhaps he’s too good to be true. With all of his unique qualities, why has a guy like Ben been single for so long. The answer reveals itself when Ben confesses to Lindsey that he’s a Boston Red Sox fan.

Ben’s not just an ordinary fan whose pastime is baseball. His entire existence revolves around his beloved “Bosox” making him a die-hard fanatic. As a child, Ben moved to Boston with his mom after a bitter divorce and thanks to his beloved uncle, he found salvation in a team that would become the love of his life. When Ben turns down an invitation to meet Lindsey’s folks in favor of a trip to Florida Spring training, she’s dismayed but ultimately shrugs it off. It isn’t until she sees televised fan coverage of her new boyfriend describing “The Sox” and sex above everything else that she begins to wonder what she’s gotten herself into.

Ben decides to take their relationship to the next level by getting down on one knee and proposing…that Lindsey accompany him to opening day! To Lindsey it’s just a date at Fenway Park, but for Ben and his friends it’s a tradition. Lindsey doesn’t know Johnny Damon from Carl Yastrzemski, she thinks “the curse of the Bambino” is just a gimmick nor is she aware of the fact that Ben’s prime seats behind the dugout were passed down to him by his late uncle and are worth thousands to outsiders. Initially Lindsey encourages Ben’s baseball obsession and feels it might be healthy for their developing relationship. His summers will be occupied with the Sox and she’ll have time for her career as she petitions for a big time promotion. But as the season unfolds, their relationship becomes more serious and Lindsey’s hopes that Ben’s attention to baseball will shift to her are dashed.

“Fever Pitch” is being described as “contemporary romantic comedy” and a departure for the directing team of the Farrelly brothers. It’s actually nothing new if you’re a fan of their work; all of their films have revolved around a love story of sorts. Whether its love for a woman, love between friends, brothers or even bowling, there has always been romance of different degrees within the Farelly's work. What’s refreshing about “Fever Pitch” is the maturity within the material. The Farelly’s may have made a name for themselves with the obnoxious bathroom humor of “Dumb & Dumber”, “There’s Something About Mary” and “Me, Myself and Irene”, but the later films of their careers have showcased a grown up quality that finds humor within life rather than the absurd.

“Fever Pitch” is loosely based on an autobiographical novel by Nick Hornby about his soccer obsession and surprisingly the tight script for this adaptation was written not by the Farrelly’s but by the comedy team of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. Ganz and Mandel created some rather generic comedic material for several Ron Howard films, TV’s “Happy Days” and “The Odd Couple” as well as the recent animation feature “Robots.” They’ve managed to write not just a humorous story about a relationship between two intelligent and realistic people, but a love letter to fans of baseball or just about any sport or hobby. Drew Barrymore had fallen into a rut with recent films that bordered on either exploitation or sentimentality. She’s often played kooky roles, but rarely is she given the opportunity to portray solid, intelligent characters. That’s not to say she isn’t funny, because there are more than a handful of humorous situations that involve her character, but they work because of the humanity and realism within them. As her trio of girlfriends, Barrymore is given great support by Marisa Janet Winokur, Kadee Strickland and the “sight for sore eyes” Ione Skye who gets a sore chin after Strickland socks her for pointing out her jealousy over Ben and Lindsey’s relationship.

Jimmy Fallon may carry the notoriety of being an ex “Saturday Night Live” player with him forever and films like the recent “Taxi” don’t help. “Fever Pitch” may be a step in the right direction not because he’s proving the comedic chops we already know he has, but his ability to play a leading man. Will Farrell has received praise for his ability to tone himself down for Woody Allen and Fallon should be no exception. He’s utterly convincing as a supportive boyfriend, an old romantic and even an encouraging teacher who’s more of a friend to his students. His fanaticism as a Red Sox fan plays quite well, but it’s his ability to be a regular guy that’s interesting. Even when he knows his obsession is breaking his girlfriend’s heart you can see the confusion over his stupid actions behind Fallon’s eyes. These two characters were just the shots in the arms that these lead actors needed to help their careers as well as sharpen their talents.

Boston fans will find comfort in the fact that their beloved Red Sox have not been cheapened or exploited in any way for this film. In fact, the writers have managed to incorporate trivia and long forgotten facts into the story. Any true fan will get a hard earned laugh when Fallon, in a bout of depression decides to torture himself by watching a tape of Bill Buckner’s fielding error from game six of the ’86 season. In a twist of fate the producers found that they had to rush and change the outcome of their story when the Sox broke the curse and won the World Series for the first time in 86 years last season. “Fever Pitch” manages to follow the familiar “boy gets/ boy loses girl” premise and the story structure reaches levels of predictability, but the tight direction of the Farrelly Brothers as well as impressive work by Barrymore and Fallon keep the picture from striking out