Perfect Catch, The
Also reviewed by:
Johnny Five
Very loosely based on Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch (the film is called that elsewhere, but suffered the knee-jerk change of title when being shipped overseas that happens to films that bomb mercilessly in the US), the filmmakers have substituted the Brit love for soccer for the Yanks worship of baseball, and thrown away pretty much everything else from either the book, or the previous British adaptation. Why they bothered to pay for the rights in the first place escapes me.
Not only does this film not feel representative of Hornby's work, it doesn't even feel like a Farrelly brothers film. Gone are the hilarious-for-a-bit-in- There's-Something-About-Mary-but-we're-over-them-now disabled people jokes and gross-outs. The (few) comedic highlights seem to come more from star Jimmy Fallon and feel like improv. Most of the film is a banal romantic comedy, all the stock standards present and accounted for. Actually Drew Barrymore's character speaks exclusively in romantic comedy speak – every word she says is seemingly an analysis of their relationship. Yeah – that doesn't tire quickly.
What the film does have going for it is baseball. I am completely unapologetic about my love for baseball, but even greater is my love for baseball movies. I laughed my ass off at Major League (okay, when I was 14), was riveted at the true tale of Billy Crystal's 64* , and although I didn't bawl, I recognise Field of Dreams as the ultimate guy weepie film. There's a fucking ton of baseball-themed movies and I would have seen just about all of them.
What makes The Perfect Catch a bit special is the story behind it. The main character follows the Boston Red Sox – a team that hasn't won the pennant in an eternity. That was the idea – the main character was supposed to be the tragic fan of a team that breaks his heart more than any girl could. So of course as they are filming Barrymore and Fallon at these games the Red Sox come good, and eventually, are the World Champs. This required hasty rewrites as the film went along, and obviously altered the ending, making this ‘feel-good' comedy, as average as it is, actually a bit goody feeling at the end …provided you give half a shit about baseball – and you're not a Yankees fan.