Fever Pitch

Living relatively close to the Boston area means every once in a while I get a whiff of Red Sox fandom. Such was the case Saturday when I saw "Fever Pitch," the new Farrelly Brothers movie about a Red Sox fan (Jimmy Fallon) trying to maintain a relationship with a career-oriented woman (Drew Barrymore) who, despite living in Boston, doesn't know ANYTHING about baseball (seriously, she doesn't even know what the foul poles are for). So, it's a romantic comedy. And I hate romantic comedies. This one wasn't too bad though, because it focuses less on relationship issues and more on personal issues that all of us can relate to. On top of that, there are a good handful of belly laughs to be had: 1) The family dog barking at dad's new hair color, 2) Grown men dancing for tickets, and 3) The gradual revelation that one of the friends is probably gay. All well-earned laughs, all having nothing to do with the romantic-comedy-ness of the plot. Coincidence? I think not. What might've sold me more on the main relationship plot is, I dunno, a better acting job by Drew Barrymore. Early in the movie, Fallon arrives at her apartment for her first date, and Barrymore's character has gotten sick. Fallon makes a joke about her faking it to get out of the date, but she's not. But I really DID think she was faking it. Why? Because Barrymore's sick-acting is so bad it LOOKS fake. And, if you'll allow me to be superficial for a moment, all the comments about Barrymore looking so great in this movie are way off. She looks frail and unhealthy. Yeah, she's lost weight, but it looks like it drained out of her. I have this weird habit of imagining people when they're older, and with Barrymore's face it wasn't too difficult. Her eyes were sunken and her face bones were protruding through her skin. NOT sexy. But hey, that's just me. As I was saying, the movie's pretty good. All of the Red Sox stuff of course went over well with the audience, but I disagree with those who say you have to be a Red Sox fan to enjoy it. Key moments and facts of Red Sox history, both recent and ancient, are tastefully incorporated into the movie for non-fans. But even if that's not enough, it's ok because there's plenty of non-Red-Sox comedy to go around. The real problems are with the tidy ending and some of the acting. And the first 15 minutes are particularly bad. Fallon is pretty decent, as is the supporting cast, and I like how the movie draws a parallel between fandom and commitment, and how it's no better to be addicted to work than to a baseball team.

The audience applauded at the end, and it was more than just a recognition of the World Series archival footage playing over the credits. The Farrelly Bros have constructed a sweet, charming movie around New England's favorite team. From what I could tell, "Fever Pitch" is something Boston-ites are proud to call a "Red Sox film."

3/5.

I also watched "Sideways" again, and it was fairly enjoyable, but I didn't get much more out of it, which was disappointing. There aren't too many layers to it, I think. It is what it is, and it's all there for you to see the first time around.

And then today I got my birthday gift a week early: a new Lawnmower. Oh, how giddy I was. I also got a rake, a broom, and a gas can. Boy, I just can't wait to waste hours of my life taking care of a lawn I don't even own.