Based on the novel of the same name, FEVER PITCH takes Nick Hornby’s central idea about being a sports fanatic, and then changes the sport from soccer to baseball. The story revolves around Lindsey, a workaholic, and Ben, a schoolteacher. The only thing that stands between them is Ben’s extreme obsession with the Red Sox.

At what point in the Farrelly’s careers did they say, “Hey, lets make romantic comedy about baseball, and then we can cast Jimmy Fallon as the lead”? Well, whatever the case, they did it, and now I have to review it. Thanks a lot guys!

FEVER PITCH isn’t nearly as horrible as I thought it was going to be, but it isn’t good either. It just sort of sits there and wastes away like a rotting donkey carcass (yes, that was the best analogy I could think of). The romance is blasé, the comedy is mediocre, the acting is sub par, and the plot is, in my opinion, incredibly uninteresting (the book is probably better, though I’m not positive). Huge sport fans may get a kick out of it, but hey – it’s Jimmy Fallon playing that part. I mean, I don’t think many people actually want to compare themselves to that guy. I don’t put full blame on Fallon though (just most of it), seeing as how Barrymore doesn’t really impress either. Then again, both their characters are pretty lame too. However, their chemistry together is a little surprising, seeing as how they sort of work as a couple. Not entirely, but sort of. And in this movie, “sort of” is as good as it gets.

Maybe I’m being a little harsh. I mean, I was never really bored while watching, and I did laugh out loud a few times, so I guess that’s saying something. Hmmm... that’s really all I can find to praise actually. I guess the movie does suck. Maybe it has to do with my former biases though, since I’m not really that big of a sports fanatic, nor do I think watching a baseball game even slightly resembles “fun”. That, and I find Jimmy Fallon to be an amazingly shitty actor. Ah, well, that’s not really a bias though; it’s fact.

Video: Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The video presentation is strong, with sharp detail and not a speck of dirt in sight.

Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and Spanish/French 2.0 Surround. For a comedy, the audio track is pretty good. The dialogue is fine and dandy, and so are the sound effects, but it’s during the baseball scenes that the film’s audio stands out.

The film’s extras appear to have a lot more content than they do. And as a side note, there is also an equally priced “Red Sox Collector’s Edition” available, which contains an extended ending with more Sox footage. Oh joy.

Commentary (with Bobby and Peter Farrelly): From past experiences, I’ve learned to steer away from Farrelly commentaries, seeing as they spend most of their time pointing out all their personal friends and such. They still do it here, but not as much. They also spill some juicy tidbits on filmmaking, location shooting, and more.

Deleted Scenes (17:51): There are 13 scenes. There’s some nice cutesy stuff with the young Ben, as well as more semi-funny excess footage. If you liked the movie, check this out.

Gag Reel (5:59): A fairly humorous collection of funny crack-ups, mostly involving Fallon and Barrymore.

”Love Triangle” Internet Featurette (2:11): This is nothing more than a promo disguised as a featurette by adding a few seconds of interview footage.

”Break the Curse” Internet Featurette (2:42): Skip this and watch “Making a Scene”, since it covers exactly the same material, but in more detail.

Making a Scene (8:02): A decent featurette detailing how the cast and crew rushed to film the actual World Series, in which the Red Sox finally (and conveniently) won. Watch it.

There is also the Theatrical Trailer and an Inside Look at IN HER SHOES.

As much as I like the Farrelly brothers, I can’t help but think if this movie had taken a different route it could’ve been a whole lot better. I’ve only seen the DVD cover for the British take on the book, and can already tell its better (it features a topless chick). And upon further research, it’s plot description also seems more interesting, which is probably because it’s more faithful to the novel. Hmph. This is just further proof that Hollywood messes with everything it can get its hands on, and most of the time, not in a good way. I’d say save your breath on this film, and then either check out the previous version, or if you’re feeling particularly daring, read the actual book.