aka THE PERFECT CATCH (UK)
Movie Review by EDF
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, Jason Spevack, Jack Kehler
Directors: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
The Farrelly brothers are back with a new comedy based on the Nick Hornby’s book, Fever Pitch. Just like the HIGH FIDELITY movie was set in the States, THE PERFECT CATCH switches location from England to the U.S. and the sport from football to baseball. As with typical commercial romantic comedies, THE PERFECT CATCH follows the same formula of boy meets girl, boy falls in love and falls out with girl and then finally they get back together for that big happy ending just before the end titles roll. That is the predictable side of the movie and along the way you kind of forget that you are watching a Farrelly brothers movie.
Charming, funny school teacher Ben (Jimmy Fallon) meets ambitious business consultant Lindsey (Drew Barrymore) while taking his pupils on a tour around the company that Lindsey works for. Ben asks Lindsey out on a date and both of them get along quite well. Secretly they both have their doubts about the other. Lindsey cannot believe that Ben is that nice and Ben has doubts that Lindsey will appreciate his passion and obsession for everything that is the Red Sox.
Ben and his unusual bunch of Red Sox friends plan the summer months around the team’s schedules. From travelling to the Red Sox’s training camp to the final game of the season, anything in-between would only get in the way. With a lifetime ticket that his uncle had passed on to him, not only does he plan to go to all of the games, he will be reunited with his summer friends that sit around him at the games. Lindsey does her best to get into the whole atmosphere of the game but when a potential promotion arises, Lindsey does what she has to do to get it and that includes putting Ben aside. Will Ben allow Lindsey to slip away like that or will his devotion to the Red Sox blind his true feelings for her?
As mentioned earlier, there are only a couple of moments in this movie where you are reminded that you are watching a Farrelly brother movie. The gross-out comedic moments are kept to a minimum and are replaced with a script that is clever enough not to over use the familiar visual comedic tricks and when they happen, the brothers milk it for all its worth. As always, Drew Barrymore eases her way though the script and Jimmy Fallon’s performance is for once watchable. This is slightly better than most other romantic comedies and as a date movie, there will be lots to talk about after the movie ends.
