Review of Fever Pitch (2005) by Em K — 24 Apr 2018

One of my all-time favorite romantic comedies is Fever Pitch, the 2005 baseball love story from Bobby and Peter Farrelly. As an avid Boston Red Sox fan, it is impossible to not love this movie, and I want this movie to receive the attention it deserves beyond just Red Sox faithfuls.

This movie follows Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore as Ben Wrightman and Lindsey Meeks, who cross paths through their jobs and their relationship ensues while following the Red Sox season from Opening Day.

Ben is a diehard Red Sox fan, and the story is well crafted through his love of the Red Sox, and the Red Sox season becomes a sort of metaphor for their relationship. The Red Sox also become an obstacle for Lindsey to overcome in order to have Ben's commitment, and his passion for the Red Sox is what gives them problems in their relationship.

The ups and downs of the Red Sox season follow the ups and downs of their relationship, and Ben learns there will be tradeoffs in this relationship (like missing a Yankees game for a party of Lindsey's friend).

The Red Sox are also used to show how much Ben and Lindsey care for each other. Ben loves Lindsey enough to sell his season tickets to prove that he is committed to her. Lindsey loves Ben enough to stop him from doing so, and in the best and most comedic scene, [spoiler alert] Lindsey buys a ticket from a scalper, gets into Fenway Park during the end of a playoff game versus the Yankees and is on the other side of the park from Ben so she jumps over the outfield wall (a feat only a Red Sox fan could understand) and runs across the field in the 8th inning while evading security to stop Ben from selling his tickets.

This is a moment that you don't need to be a Red Sox fan to appreciate. They have both shown how far they are willing to go for the other, and one will give up everything they love and the other is willing to go through immense odds to prevent the one from giving up everything they love.

It is almost like a "gift of the Magi" story in which he is willing to give up his most prized possession for the woman he loves. Except in this twist of the traditional Magi story, Lindsey learns to accept Ben's love for the Red Sox when she realizes how far he is willing to go for her, and she overcomes the obstacle of the Red Sox being in the way of their love.

This movie is culturally relevant to more than just Red Sox fans and other sports fans-- it is about the lengths people are willing to go for love. However, you may appreciate and love the movie just a little bit more if you love the Red Sox as much as I do.