...and now, a word on obsession. Not the type of obsession, where the crazy insane woman business executive is one-night-stand spurned by the horny, reckless and married guy business exec, and it all culminates with a well-boiled bunny in the pressure cooker, and a deftly fired bullet in the forehead...No siree, Bob!! Nor is it a gaggle of sale savvy she-la mall shoppers, who violently storm and mob the nearest department store, like nutzoid concert goers at a Cincinnati 'Who' concert...after hearing the sudden announcement on the PA system, "...boxes of exotic gourmet chocolates...one, for $2.50, or three, for $4.99!!" Can you say, 'Stampede!!', yippee kai-yay, stiletto stompers?? Nope to all of that; rather, we're talking about the phenomenon of sports obsession. The elating, rip-roaring, high-decibel cheers, when a team is doing good, or even wins. The dejection and deep depression that occurs, when the team is not doing so good, or outright loses. The fantasy sports aspect...yes, 'fantasy' to most, but to some, just as real as watching the actual players, themselves. And, oh yes...even going so far as to ardently follow a favorite team across the country, like a crazed groupie, forgoing all else...including...well, this brings us to "Fever Pitch". 'Fever Pitch', huh?? Oh, really?? Title sound familiar?? Let's set the wayback machine to...oh say, circa 1997, and a little romantic comedy/drama ditty, which may well draw forth an equal measure of familiarity, as well as a rousing measure of celebrative fervor, obsession, humor, relationships. and well inspiration of life, itself...even if what is depicted here, seems...well, let's face it, a bit one-sided...
...it's the late '80's soccer tournament season (...a particularly notable period, considering the well-documented tragedy at the Hillborough stadium, having happened around the time, which the film respectfully takes an opportunity to pay reverence to), and Paul (Colin Firth), an awkward and relatively mild-mannered English school teacher and football coach by trade, is a fanatic when it comes to the game, in so far as to quite literally incorporate the love of the sport into just about every aspect of his life. It would not be all that removed to say that he 'lives and breathes' the sport. His favorite team, Arsenal...whom he's ardently followed, since he was a boy...manages to move ahead in the season, enough to possibly garnish a chance at a long-overdue championship win, and Paul couldn't possibly be more elated at the prospect. In the midst of engaging his most ardent passion, he meets Sarah (Ruth Gemmell), a fellow school teacher...attractive, witty and intelligent...perhaps a bit uptight...and despite a difference in personalities, it would not be all that unrealistic to say that sparks of attraction do kindle...that is, until Sarah find herself in constant competition with Paul's true 'love'. In Sarah, will Paul find a niche of passion priority, over and above that of his love of football, and in tandem, will Sarah come to reach an understanding of one's obsessive passion for the sport, especially in being attracted to one with such an 'affliction'??
...and much like our romantic protagonists in "Fever Pitch", the viewers may well find themselves equally torn, as to how they feel about the events that take place, the rousing revelry that builds to a crescendo, and the hopes of an equal ground reached by Paul and Sarah. Make no mistake: there's not a person out there, who isn't passionate about something, right?? (...indeed, when this viewer's idea of a 'Super Bowl'...the Academy Awards...rolls around, there's an equally ardent 'fever pitch' in this movie-obsessed soul, yet your average sports enthusiast might spew a yawn of 'much ado about nothing'). As much as this viewer couldn't help but get caught up in the cinematic storytelling, emotion and revelry of the sports enthusiasts...especially Paul...this viewer quite candidly, though understandably had to admit siding with Sarah, in the sense of not comprehending what all the hoopla was about, with regards to something which responsively, one might shrug one's shoulders and say, "...but it's only a game!!" One cannot help but identify with the hapless Sarah, walking around in a seemingly frustrating quandary, like she's in a minority of souls who, try as they might, just can't get the punchline of the joke...even up to the point when the spotlight team of the film, conquers all, with countless maddening celebrative people in the streets, rallying as if a great war had just been won...and in the end, Sarah seems to throw her hands up in defeat...still not fully comprehending what is happening...yet resigning herself to a sighing 'thy will be done, I suppose' mantra...a mantra that, in invariably committing herself to Paul, she might well find herself spinning out, again and again, year after year...
...but then, as the film's fully attentive viewers, we are much more privileged to the inner workings of the 'why', with regards to Paul's obsession with the game...and there's more that meets the eye, than merely the juxapositioned ritualistic manhood 'conditioning', with regards to the allure of the sport, as most strapping young men engage in, early on. In sporadic and humorous moments of flashback, we get to see a younger Paul, who fixates on the prospect of being a Gooner, as a means of belonging and social association. And yet, much like water and vinegar, Paul's unswerving fixation on the celebrative 'ups' and disappointing 'downs' of team Arsenal, seems to always clash with his relationships; invariably, he wants ever so much to 'have his cake, and eat it, too', but time after time, such desire is thwarted...but hey, in the end, Paul always has Arsenal, right?? And then, of course, along comes Sarah...
...Colin Firth instills the character of Paul, with a genuine sense of youthful and relatable likability...a vibrant, albeit clumsy, energy-instilled vigor which, as a teacher and football coach...as seen from the student level...one cannot help but want to be a part of his class, if anything, to match and be motivated of Paul's youthful tandem of rhythm. Clearly, as a plus in Paul's favor, his passion for his sport of choice, supercharges that youthful, free-spirited vigor...which may well explain the overly prim and proper Sarah's (Ruth Gemmell) initial attraction...as if he had an element of personality, which may have once been present, at some time in her life, but now, is sorely missing in her own persona...hey, self-denial's a bitch, right??. And as far as how the characters are amiably directed and written (...from author Nick Hornby's personal memoirs, who would later see another of his embraceable pieces, cinematically rendered, with 2000's higher-profiled comedy, "High Fidelity"), it seems that it would be so easy to take our two lovelorn protagonists to a much more exaggerated level...with Paul being a measure more on the wacky & eccentric side, and Sarah, much more tightly wound (...ironically, that is exactly how the characters are rendered, in the riotous 2005, baseball-themed remake, starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon); however, in these proceedings, a disciplined sense of storytelling prevails, and the romantic comedy is well balanced with the sports obsession theme, and as such, so are the characters...well OK, maybe just a notable tad bit in favor of the latter...
...in the end, it seems that it's the love of the sport, which stands out over the prospect of romantic entanglement...but, for the sake of the film's overall sense of satisfaction, not by much. There's most assuredly a lot to identify with, as far as Paul's obsession; however, there's equal relatability with Sarah, who remains hard-pressed to understand such obsession. Likable, albeit polar opposite characters, engaged in a humorously difficult situation....willing to find a middle ground, amidst these laughable difficulties. Heck, is this a match made in Heaven, or what?? (...whoa, did someone say 'match'?? Quick, who's winning?? Arsenal, or...ohhhh, you mean the 'he & she' match...ahhhh, sorry...my bad...)...
...one of Twilight Time's ever-growing smattering of limited-edition releases, there's not really much more to say about the satisfying watchability of "Fever Pitch"; one of their more bare-bones releases (...limited to 3000 copies), there is...at the very least...some interesting commentary, rendered by Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo, regulars of the Twilight Time commentary crew...as well as an isolated music score track. Having barely received a domestic release, here in the States, this romantic ditty is a great curiosity piece...for sports enthusiasts, and especially for those only privy to the 2005 remake...
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