Fever Pitch

Directors: Bobby and Peter Farrelly (2005)

Cast: Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon

I consider “Fever Pitch” The Luckiest Sports Movie of all Time.” First off: Two funny directors in the Farrelly Brothers. Two great screenwriters who know a lot about Baseball in Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel who wrote “A League of Their Own” ‘But, most of all, this is a rare occurrence, when fact and fiction collide to create a really great story.

The year is 2003 when we meet Lindsey and Ben. She’s a corporate decorator and he’s a schoolteacher. These 20-somethings have chemistry and a growing love for each other, but there’s a little problem that they have work through…Ben, is a rabid fan of his hometown Boston Red Sox and his spring, summer and fall are either watching all the home games at Fenway Park with his season tickets, that his family willed to him or never missing a road game on TV. Lindsey did everything she could do to keep Ben happy, and she tried to go to as many games she could stand…The rest of the film really goes through the ups and downs of the new relationship.

The whole movie was filmed during 2004 Pennant race and World Series in Boston so everything that happened during that season was filmed and available to use in the film. The only bummer was the Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918 in Saint Louis. But it was cute to see Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore on the field holding the world championship trophy and celebrating with the Red Sox players.

Fun Facts: Drew Barrymore first met Jimmy Fallon when she Guest Hosted Saturday Night Live. Fallon then introduced Barrymore to his wife, Nancy Juvonen. The two women became good friends and then business partners. Their Production Company, Flower Films, produced the movie.