Fever Pitch | | Cast : | Ruth Gemmell, Colin Firth | | Director : | David Evans (II) | | Studio : | Vidmark/Trimark | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 1997 | | DVD Released Date : | July 16, 2002 | | Language : | Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 20, 2005 | | Summary | Fever Pitch | Content
 | This movie is pretty good if you like British films which I do. Colin Firth does a great job at playing the crazed Arsenal football fan, and I have a feeling that if you also live and die for Arsenal, you'll like the film even more than I did. The only downside to the movie is that it does drag at parts, but overall, it's witty and funny. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 28, 2005 | | Summary | Have you ever cared for anything for 18 years? | Content
| This is the original Fever Pitch, with the screenplay based on the novel both written by Nick Hornsby, who really knows how to write about people. It is a very likable film. Colin Firth plays a wonderful Joe Sixpack; who knew?! It is interesting to see other members in the cast, who have also played more august roles on BBC productions on PBS play regular folk. This is an obsessive guy who questions why we aren't obsessive too - and his reasoning is hard to discount. However there is a point where I was so fed up with him and angry after his speech about caring for anything for 18 years that I was ready to shut the DVD player off. Since when does an obsessive have the right to make a moral judgment? For a comedy, it was teetering on the edge of becoming too dark. Well, the big match is preparing to happen and I feel like I should be getting snacks and be worried about traffic. Also, the actors interacting with the action on television was priceless. The drama building up was a rush. Without wanting to spoil any endings, I almost died laughing with how a climactic moment is portrayed. The soundtrack is wonderful, capturing the time and mood very well.
I have no idea if Hornsby will ever resent how some of us look forward to his hand the storytelling and in the music direction of films with his name in the credits. He is one of those writers who seems to offer clarity on living in the modern world and also include a refreshing list of musicians I never heard before in the process or a refreshing perspective of music I have been listening to for most of my life.
It is disappointing that this movie was not marketed on this side of the pond. A good movie like this can teach even Americans to understand soccer. Although, being a neophyte baseball fan, I am curious how the American remake will translate with what sounds like an interesting cast. Still, my fellow Americans, give this a chance. If you like it and feel a little more adventurous, if you have 3 1/2 hours, make some time to learn about cricket by watching an Indian music set in the Kutch during the British Raj titled Lagaan. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 30, 2005 | | Summary | Successful Adaptation of Hornby Novel | Content
| I wasn't even aware of this film's existence until my British sister-in-law alerted me to it. I have yet to see the American version of this film so I cannot make comparisons. I'm baffled by British football but that is not an impediment to your enjoying this film. Football is just the subtext for this film about a thirty-something lit teacher(Colin Firth) whose lifelong obsession with the Arsenal club allows him to make a tenuous connection with humanity. This fanaticism comes into question when he developes a relationship with a fellow teacher(Ruth Gemmell). Sports obsession is fine when it is put in it's proper context but potentially fatal when trying to be intimate with another human being. Firth does just fine in his portrayal of the football fanatic, not overdoing it but giving a well-rounded picture of a man who has difficulty letting go of his adolescent obsessions. There are many funny moments here, many touching, and also many universal truths on display. This film is an excellent companion to later Nick Hornby film adaptations, "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy". |
| Rating | | | Date | March 12, 2005 | | Summary | genderlect? | Content
| Colin Firth plays a teacher and passionate to the point of obsessive football (soccer for Americans) fan who manages to mangle his only functional relationship, thanks to his tunnel vision when it comes to his obsession and fanatical support for Arsenal. His self-centered attitude with no concern at all for his girlfriend's interests muck up what could be a good relationship. On the other hand, it is hard to see in the first place what the woman finds so appealing about Firth's character, Paul. Perhaps because she is so uptight and needs to loosen up and sees in him a way by which to learn to be less rigid. She attempts to get involved in HIS passion but does not quite have the rabid, feverish passion he has. Eventually the fact that he identifies himself so closely with his football club and its ups and downs leads to the demise of the relationship, but she comes to see that she likes his identity, which is strong, linked to football or not. She has also been carried away by a certain infectious passion about football because it is so much a part of his life. Of course, one could argue that this tale is a sad reflection on the idea that there is a genderlect and that women suffer more in terms of being able to communicate, but that belies the point here that sometimes an imperfect person can still be perfect for someone who loves him, faults, obsessions and all. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 11, 2005 | | Summary | fantasy | Content
| A cleverly directed film can inspire audiences to share the characters' affection for each other, but just as often, films fetishize obnoxious, childish, or selfish behavior, and watching two people mysteriously bond over actions that should drive them apart is generally more baffling than affirming...Such is the case with Sarah and the unbearable Paul.
No self respecting woman (or man for that matter) would find such behaviour in any way endearing. The status of their relationship at the end of the film makes me think Fever Pitch belongs in the fantasy/science fiction category.
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