Fever Pitch

source: Fever Pitch

Trailer—Fever Pitch

Fever Pitch

Late in 1999, this film finally became available in the US. If you are a soccer fan (or a fanatic of any sport), you will relate to this movie. This is an autobiographical book by Nick Hornby, a long-time Arsenal fan, who also did the screenplay. Incidently, the book is considered one of the best soccer books ever written. For those who liked High Fidelity, a book also written by Nick Hornby, and reset in Chicago, they will enjoy the romance of Fever Pitch, the movie. Colin Firth from Shakespeare in Love is excellent.

I stumbled upon this film playing on cable one afternoon & much to my own surprise, I was hooked. It's very well done & very enjoyable, even for those of us who have no clue about sports in general, much less the details of British soccer championships. Only when the credits came up @ the end, did I know that Nick Hornsby of HIGH FIDELITY fame was behind it. I patted myself on the back for letting my own good judgment overcome any snobbish preconceptions. (Of course the initial hook was seeing Colin Firth's face on the screen. The guy definitely has under-used leading man potential!!!) Jan

Fever Pitch(1997) The original soccer based version of the Nick Hornby story starring Colin Firth( the remake stars Jimmy Fallon & Drew Barrymore and follows the Bosox).OK- I know obsessive sports fans- OK I am one - reformed- now I follow fake sport(pro wrestling).OK I still follow the Skins and the O's- but not like I did when I was younger.Colin Firth is an obsessed Arsenal fan- been following them for 21 years- when the season is going on - the rest of the world is static to him. Miss Hughes(misuse) is a leggy and serious teacher that teaches the class next to his class- they eventually hit it off(probably cuz they are the best looking folks on the faculty-they seem to have nothing in common-besides good skin and good form).Firth is so obsessed he even gets a flat within spitting distance of the Arsenal pitch.A good flick about sports obsession . B

As a huge Arsenal fan, I HAD to watch this film. I was not disappointed - a true depiction of life as a fan. LIFE AS A FAN. That is what the film explores; the highs and lows of the life of Paul (Colin Firth), who lives his life in seasons rather than years, and struggles to cope with his cynical, pregnant girlfriend, and the highs and lows of an especially rollercoaster of Arsenal footy games. Rest assured, you do not have to support Arsenal to like this movie. Perhaps die-hard Liverpudlians will find the ending especially distressing, but the film focuses on how what happens on the pitch can affect everyday life, something all avid fans know about. You also need no knowledge of English footy. Just settle down for an evening of great acting, often poignant nostalgia, and frequent bursts of

I adored this film. I had seen the new, American version before seeing this. I like them both very much. I love the British version because it is about football, and personally I am a football fan. Colin Firth does a wonderful acting job. This movie is full of good British humor. The characters are put in serious situations that are made humorous (ie the baby), and the lead character's reaction is quite hysterical. If you enjoy British humor and a good looking British man, you will not be disappointed by this film. It is fun, but it has it's serious moments as well. A very sweet film that analyzes the depths of our mind and how we deal with obsession.

The biggest problem with this film is that an opportunity was missed to comedically exploit football-fan fanaticism. Instead, sport-fanaticism is taken far too seriously, considering what it really is, and although there is some humour at its expense, there wasn't enough of it. Somehow too much time is spent on soppy relationship nonsense, which goes nowhere. Still, the film isn't boring, and occasionally provides amusing insight into the world of the mindless football fan. The ending, with the main character desperately trying not to watch a championship match and being totally negative, is quite amusing, and there should have been more of that.

Just because am a die-hard gooner, its the best movie to come out of Britain.