Monday, May 11, 2009

Fever Pitch (1997)

I saw the American version of this flick and then learned that the original story had been written by Nick Hornby, who had written About a Boy, High Fidelity, and A Long Way Down - all charming, funny, poignant books that were a far cry from the unoriginal romantic comedy sap the movie threw at me.

Then I saw this version of it.

Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, and scriptwriters, what did you DO to this story? It's sweet, charming, authentic, with interesting characters and a love story that rings true. Colin Firth is more convincing as an actor here than in almost anything else I've seen him in - a character who wants to be living his life fully but is constantly drawn back to his childhood love of football (or soccer, in the U.S.), which keeps interfering with the life he's trying to lead.

An extremely charming romantic comedy/drama - certainly as good as the film versions of About a Boy and High Fidelity. Check it out if you were disappointed by the newer version. 4 stars.

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