Fever Pitch (The Perfect Catch) (2005)

64% of critics liked it
(177 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(151,355 ratings)

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… More 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. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Written By: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: Apr 8, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Sep 13, 2005
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The movie's sentiment is nothing new for the Farrelly brothers, but its complacency certainly is.
David Denby, New Yorker
Has a slapdash feeling to it.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Barely a screwball comedy, let alone a gunk-loaded spitball like There's Something About Mary.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
The Farrellys, New Englanders by birth, love the Red Sox so much that they forgive their lead character a multitude of sins that, in any of their other movies, they'd be too gentlemanly (and too humane) to ever allow.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Suffers from oddly clunky pacing and long, talky passages of little verbal dexterity and zero interest, import or impact.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
A romantic comedy with the ultimate in feelgood endings.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Perfectly enjoyable but perfectly forgettable.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
Coincidentally, it's the second great romantic comedy to end with Drew Barrymore on a ball diamond and the only work of fiction to feature Jimmy Fallon as a believable human being, as Fallon handles possible pregnancy with unexpected dramatic presence.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Maybe you have to love the Red Sox to really enjoy Fever Pitch, but then you never really had to know sports to know a pretty bad movie.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
The Farrelly brothers soften their customary inclination toward gross-out humor with a tender and earnest adaptation of a novel by Nick Hornby ("High Fidelity").
, Time Out New York
Fallon does an adequate job of making Ben's mania believable, although the portrayal of ballpark culture turns the film into a giddy celebration of fandom.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Despite the charming actors and promising setup, they never really hit it out of the park.
Kam Williams, Princeton Town Topics
Drew Barrymore gives an excellent performance as a lady-in-waiting opposite Jimmy Fallon's equally-impressive portrayal of a jittery, baseball-obsessed beau.
Mary Lasse, Christianity Today
For a light-hearted romantic comedy, there are a number of genuinely touching moments of love.
Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald
It's a lot of fun.
Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat
Anyone familiar with the conventions of the rom-com genre knows how all this is going to turn out.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
Barrymore has rarely been so bright and effortlessly charming, but it's all lost on Fallon, who often resembles one of those unfortunate SNL guests who freeze up on live TV, completely out of their element.
Luis Martinez, Cinenganos
El fin de la maldición del Bambino, un buen guión y la irresistible Drew Barrymore. Combinación otoñal fresca y exquisita.
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
It does what it sets out to do, which is earn a few laughs and a few smiles. But it's all too run-of-the-mill.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Apesar de inferior ao original (e ao livro), esta é uma adaptação charmosa que, graças à simpatia de Fallon e Barrymore, sobrevive aos excessos ocasionais dos irmãos Farrelly.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

John M

This is cute fun lovable comedy. I personally thought Fallon and Barrymore had a really good connection and they made this movie work. Im a sucker for romance though.
Cassie H

I'm not a baseball fan but this movie was just great. Jimmy Fallon & Drew Barrymore had perfect chemistry and the part of Al, the sponge salesman, who was the guy that introduced Ben (Fallon), to baseball was great as well. An adorable, sporty, romcom that I very much… More
I'm not a baseball fan but this movie was just great. Jimmy Fallon & Drew Barrymore had perfect chemistry and the part of Al, the sponge salesman, who was the guy that introduced Ben (Fallon), to baseball was great as well. An adorable, sporty, romcom that I very much enjoyed! (:
Bethany M

An alright romantic comedy.
Jennifer X

Fever Pitch is a really sweet rom com, and I think it benefits from the guy being torn between his girlfriend and his favorite sport instead of the golden favorite, his girlfriend and another girl - it's makes the story that much more believable and it doesn't spend so much… More
Fever Pitch is a really sweet rom com, and I think it benefits from the guy being torn between his girlfriend and his favorite sport instead of the golden favorite, his girlfriend and another girl - it's makes the story that much more believable and it doesn't spend so much time proving that this makes sense! it really makes sense! Which is a pitfall many movies of its genre can fall into. With that being said, I do think a movie with Drew Barrymore in it improves its ratings significantly.
Brad W

This was an interesting romance movie, but it shouldve been just that, because this is not funny at all. I tried hard to laugh and it happened like twice. Interesting story and acting, but for a romance baseball comedy, it wasnt very funny.
Matt G

It was ok. It had some memorable moments. I liked Barrymore and Fallon. Grade: C+
Rachel F

Pretty standard romantic comedy. Not really anything special about it, but Drew Barrymore is cute, as always.
KJ P

Fever Pitch is a solid romantic comedy, but there is only so much you can do with this genre. This film pulls off exactly what it should, but nothing more. At points it can become depressing, but it can also be very funny. I enjoyed Fever Pitch, but I can't say that I would watch… More
Fever Pitch is a solid romantic comedy, but there is only so much you can do with this genre. This film pulls off exactly what it should, but nothing more. At points it can become depressing, but it can also be very funny. I enjoyed Fever Pitch, but I can't say that I would watch it again.
Richard C

it was okay. its not horrible but it wasnt good. only a couple funny parts. C
Conner R

Just not funny and a poor attempt from the Farrelly Brothers. The plot is interesting for about thirty minutes, but it just gets old after a while. It's just a really long SNL skit. Drew Barrymore did her best, but it just wasn't enough to make a good movie. Jimmy Fallon was… More
Just not funny and a poor attempt from the Farrelly Brothers. The plot is interesting for about thirty minutes, but it just gets old after a while. It's just a really long SNL skit. Drew Barrymore did her best, but it just wasn't enough to make a good movie. Jimmy Fallon was really corny and makes you feel zero sympathy for the character.
Coxxie M

Jimmy Fallon is perhaps the most undeserved person job in hollywood right after Dane Crook and Drew Barrymore is decent. wait what am i saying shes like the coolest woman in the world just for having the sense of humor to marry Tom Green... but no dont ever see this movie youll want… More
Jimmy Fallon is perhaps the most undeserved person job in hollywood right after Dane Crook and Drew Barrymore is decent. wait what am i saying shes like the coolest woman in the world just for having the sense of humor to marry Tom Green... but no dont ever see this movie youll want your money back with an extra 5 bucks
Lenny M

Alright I keep finding movies I've seen a bunch of times but haven't reviewed such as Carpool or Fever Pitch. Jimmy Fallon does pretty well in this lead role. Very cheesy but funny and interesting in certain moments. Drew Barrymore is Drew Barrymore here, some of her… More
Alright I keep finding movies I've seen a bunch of times but haven't reviewed such as Carpool or Fever Pitch. Jimmy Fallon does pretty well in this lead role. Very cheesy but funny and interesting in certain moments. Drew Barrymore is Drew Barrymore here, some of her lines are awful. Farrelly Brothers don't have the fire like they used to in the mid 90's.
danny d

fallon has no screen presence but this flick is good
Luke B

Having never read or watched the original Fever Pitch meant I could watch this for what it is. Sweet, delightful romantic comedy that is very funny. Both leads are highly likeable and it is easy to see where each one is coming from. Not being a sports fan though did mean Fallon… More
Having never read or watched the original Fever Pitch meant I could watch this for what it is. Sweet, delightful romantic comedy that is very funny. Both leads are highly likeable and it is easy to see where each one is coming from. Not being a sports fan though did mean Fallon sometimes rubbed me up the wrong way. The predictability also means the film can't be considered that great and coming from The Farrelly Brothers it's nice to see a not so twisted comedy, although that may have livened it up just a tad.
Megan S

This was such a silly little movie, but I knew that when I went to see it.
Mike S

Far from the Farelly's best, but not their worst either. I've just never been a big fan of Drew Barrymore, nor Jimmy Fallon for that matter. It did have its moments though, even if it never quite reached the level of high quality comedy.
Manu G

Great movie! If your a Red Sox's fan you'll love it! A contemporary romantic comedy about a high school teacher who meets and falls in love with a successful businesswoman. Although their lives are vastly different, the relationship seems perfect until the baseball season… More
Great movie! If your a Red Sox's fan you'll love it! A contemporary romantic comedy about a high school teacher who meets and falls in love with a successful businesswoman. Although their lives are vastly different, the relationship seems perfect until the baseball season begins and she has to compete with his first true love: the Boston Red Sox.
Michael S

The best sports-Rom-Com ever made!
Leigh R

It was cute enough.
James A

The Ferrely Brothers continue to make shittier movies as time goes by. How can the same people who made Dumb and Dumber, Something about Mary, and Outside Providence make such crap. I'm glad they got the poor mans Adam Sandler for this one.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Drew Barrymore as Lindsey

            Jimmy Fallon as Ben

            Jason Spevack as Ben (1980)

            Jack Kehler as Al

            Scott H. Severance as Artie

            Jessamy R. Finét as Teresa

            Maureen Keiller as Viv

            Lenny Clarke as Uncle Carl

            Ione Skye as Molly

            KaDee Strickland as Robin

            Jackie Burroughs as Mrs. Warren

            Willie Garson as Kevin

            Daniel Greene as Waiter

            Tim McCarver as Himself

            James B. Sikking as Doug Meeks

            JoBeth Williams as Maureen Meeks

            Wayne Fleming as Leon

            Andrew Wilson as Grant Wade

            Zen Gesner as Steve

            Charlotte Sullivan as Spin Instructor

            E. Danny Murphy as 1980's Vendor #1

            Johnny Sneed as Chris

            Marissa Jaret Winokur as Sarah

            Miranda Black as Carrie

            George Ghali as Vern (gym Teacher)

            John Boylan as Myerson

            Siobhan Fallon-Hogan as Lana

            Quancetia Hamilton as Rita

            Armando Riesco as Gerard

            Evan Helmuth as Troy

            Bart Bedford as Man At Other Table

            Michael Rubenfeld as Ian

            Peter Gammons as Himself

            Darren Frost as Zach

            J. C. Kenny as Reporter

            Brandon Craggs as Casey

            Brett Murphy as Ryan

            Isabella Fink as Audrey

            Greta Onieogou as Tammy

            Mark Andrada as Ezra

            Scott Desano as Binocular Guy

            Lizz Alexander as Charlene

            Shary Guthrie as Christie

            Don Gavin as Cop

            Dan Darin-Zanco as Husband

            Gina Clayton as Lady At Other Table

            Bobby Curcuro as Loiterer

            Jason Varitek as Himself

            Johnny Damon as Himself

            Trot Nixon as Himself

            Paul McGuire as Reporter

            Ken Rogerson as Scalper

            Howard Nickerson as Usher

            Matt Watts as Valet

            Andrea Davis as Wife

            Sharlene Yuen as Receptionist

            Geoffrey Williamson as High School Kid #1

            Jim Rice as Himself

            Dennis Eckersley as Himself

            Keith Macwhorter as Himself

            Melinda Lopez as Sheri

            Sam Dissanayake as Mr. Abdo

            Steve Levy as Reporter At Spring Training

            Don Orsillo as Himself

            Harold Reynolds as Himself

            Matthew Peart as High School Kid #2

            David Klar as High School Kid #3

            Jermaine Plummer as High School Kid #4

            Erin Nanstad as Female Fan

            Johnny Cicco as Obnoxious Fan

            Brian Hayes Currie as Screaming Fan

            Bob Weekes as Hot Dog Vendor #1

            John Ruggiero as Hot Dog Vendor #2

            Dan Cummings as 1980's Vendor #2

            Jordan Leandre as Himself

            George King as Mr. Munsell
See full cast