Fever Pitch (1997)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

David Evans

Writers:

Nick Hornby (book)
Nick Hornby (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 April 1997 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Life gets complicated when you love one woman and worship eleven men

Plot:

A romantic comedy about a man, a woman and a football team. Based on Nick Hornby's best selling autobiographical novel...

Plot Keywords:

Pun In Title | 1970s | 1980s | Arsenal | Soccer

Cast

Luke Aikman	...	Young Paul
Bea Guard	...	Paul's Sister
Neil Pearson	...	Paul's Dad
Ruth Gemmell	...	Sarah Hughes
Colin Firth	...	Paul Ashworth
Richard Claxton	...	Robert Parker
Ken Stott	...	Ted, the Headmaster
Holly Aird	...	Jo
Mark Strong	...	Steve
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Paul's Mum
Peter Quince	...	Chip Shop: Frank
Charles Cork	...	Rex
Bob Curtiss	...	Stan
Philip Bond	...	Turnstile Operator
Scott Baker	...	Man Behind

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M (TV rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Germany:6 | Norway:7 | Spain:7 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Fortismere School, Muswell Hill, London, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

When Sarah asks Paul to quote Byron, he quotes a famous couplet, "The Assyrians came down like the wolf on the fold; / Their cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold." But he changes "purple and gold" to "black and old gold." These are the colors of the Wolves football team. The away colors of Arsenal that season (1988-89) were black and a strong yellow, as seen in the film, which may have been designated "old gold" too.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When, as a child, Paul Ashworth goes to see the Reading FC game, the Reading FC Club Badge on the rosette of the supporters is the one which did not come into being until around the 1987-1988 season. The badge that should have been worn in the 1970s, when the match took place, was the old style 'Elm Trees' badge.

Quotes:

Jo: [regarding Sarah's sudden interest in her boyfriend's favorite team] It's all a sinister form of male manipulation.
Sarah Hughes: Rubbish!
Jo: It's true! You get colonized! Your native culture gets driven out, and it's replaced by stuff that you don't like and don't even want to know about.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Boy A (2007)

Soundtrack:

All Around The World

A Winner for Nick Hornby and Colin Firth

Nick Hornby strikes again! I watched this movie for Colin Firth, and enjoyed it as a fan and as a discriminating viewer. The script is excellent, particularly the dialogue (particularly in one delightful restaurant scene). I found the acting and craftsmanship satisfactory - be warned that dialogue can be quiet, so listen hard through the accents. The film is delightfully British, so I highly recommend it for Anglophiles, and as Nick Hornby knows how to do, it is a nice mix of the ludicrous and the thoughtful. The relationship the movie centers around is really interesting to follow. We wonder what makes it tick, but Colin Firth and Ruth Gemmell seem comfortable together, so it isn't unbelievable at all. I wasn't expecting "Fever Pitch" to be so good, but I find that I recommend it highly.