FEVER PITCH


RUN TIME: 105 Minutes	AKA: Ballfieber - Germany Carton jaune - France Febbre a 90 (degrees) - Italy Fuera de juego (Fever Pitch) - Spain Hornankattila - Finland

FILMING LOCATIONS: Fortismere Secondary School, London, England, UK London, England, UK Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK	FILM DATES: May/June 1996

DIRECTOR: David Evans	WRITER: Nick Hornby
PRODUCER: Amanda Posey	CINEMATOGRAPHER: Chris Seager

Cast - in credits order 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 ... Frank, Chip Shop Charles Cork ... Rex Bob Curtiss ... Stan Philip Bond ... Turnstile Operator Scott Baker ... Man Behind Annette Ekblom ... Mrs. Parker Jackie Hyffes ... Pupil's Mum Joe Reddington ... Pupil's Dad Graham Cull ... Mr. Johnson Mike Ingham ... Radio Sports Commentator Sam Dunbar Marks ... Young Paul's Mate Leigh Funnelle ... Woman at Reading Davis Hounslow ... Man at Reading Simon Bowen ... Hillsborough Man Silas Carson ... Indian Waiter Geoffrey Drew ... House Owner Stephen Rea ... Ray the Governor Liam Stapleton ... Governor Two Emily Conway ... Sasha Tony Longhurst ... Taxi Driver Shuli Morris-Evans ... Party Baby Supporters of Arsenal ... As Themselves Pupils of Fortismere School ... As Themselves	Production Companies Channel Four Films Scala Productions Wildgaze Films Distributors Phaedra Cinema (1999) (USA) Sogepaq Distribución S.A. (Spain) Trimark Pictures Special Effects The Computer Film Company (digital compositing) Other Companies ARRI Lighting Rental Limited ... light equipment Technical Specifications Color info: Color (Rankcolor) Sound mix: Dolby Digital Film length: 2812 m (Sweden) / 2886 m
MUSIC: Soundtrack Anthropologists There She Goes - The La's It's Not The Smoking Liquidator - Harry J Allstars Why Is It... /Fiesta - The Pogues Cafe '68 - Neil MacColl & Boo Hewerdine It's Not Easy Baba O'Riley - The Who How Can We Hang Onto A Dream - Tim Hardin Football Good Thing - Fine Young Cannibals All Around The World - Lisa Stansfield Up For Grabs Bright Side Of The Road - Van Morrison When I Think Back Goin' Back - The Pretenders Fever Pitch - Neill MacColl & Boo Hewerdine	Additional Music: April Skies - The Jesus And Mary Chain Coz I Love You - Slade Honey Be Good - The Bible I Started Something I Couldn't Finish - The Smiths Last Cigarette - MacColl/Hewerdine Little White Bull - Tommy Steele Round And Round - New Order The Wizard - Paul Hardcastle Working In A Goldmine - Aztec Camera

A review by Damian Cannon.
Movie Reviews UK 1999

Why is it that obsession makes such fine cinema? What is it that audience' love about observing a stranger pursue their need to the point of self-destruction? Throughout this century of film, and before in other media, we've thrilled to traps of the mind, glad that it's them and not us. Just bear witness to the tragedy of Othello, a man who loves too much, fatally weakened by doubt. How about Shelley's warped scientist Frankenstein, driven to push back the frontiers of knowledge at mortal risk? In the South American jungle, Werner Herzog drove his cast to the edge of the abyss in creating Aguirre: The Wrath of God. Quite ironic, given the storyline. Yet for all of this, where are the cuddly obsessives, folk with human-scale preoccupations?

Well one of them lives in Fever Pitch, a film based on a novel about a game called football. This is a sport that drives grown men to tears and grown women to distraction, ripping relationships apart while forging bonds on the terrace. For some nothing else in life matters, everything that they do is designed to leave them time spare to watch, play and argue about football. To the outsider Paul Ashworth (Colin Firth) is a perfect example of the species. He teaches English to unruly students but prefers to coach the school squad, dreaming of success via their immature talent. As a season ticket holder with Arsenal, Paul knows that his chosen team are much less likely to top out the league so his sights are set substantially lower. Yet by looking at this unkempt exterior, new teacher Sarah Hughes (Ruth Gemmell) misses the point.

Paul's love of Arsenal takes root in early childhood, against all the odds. Living with his mother (Lorraine Ashbourne) in Maidenhead, far from the roar of the crowds, Paul catches his first game in the company of an often-absent father (Neil Pearson). A moment of epiphany. Swept along in the mob emotion, lifted by glory, crushed by torsos, Paul connects. This is why, eighteen years later, he lives and dies by the flick of a boot and the dodgy ruling of an obviously blind linesman. This is the strength of Nick Hornby's novel, the basis of its broad appeal to the unwashed masses. His writing mirrors the experience of a million kids; that desperate wish to kick a few balls about on the hallowed turf of Wembley and the transferral of that dream to your chosen team. So moving is Hornby's fiction that even the non-fan can buy into his fantasy.

David Evans, the director of Fever Pitch, grasps this opportunity with alacrity. In his hands the story shines with a fan's unwavering enthusiasm, even as the wisdom of their passion is questioned and doubted. The settings are notably pedestrian and the dialogue is intentionally ordinary, for the very good reason that this is exactly the routine by which most people live. Hornby's brilliance is that he can write scenes which precisely replay the typical male conversation; the actions and reactions are coarse and stumbling yet they posses a functional, rough poetry. Paul and his best mate Steve (Mark Strong) spend endless hours analysing, and agonising over, the fluctuating fortunes of Arsenal. With snatches of historic matches artfully woven into the film, Evans gives us the flavour of their devotion.

The cast members do their very best with the script and, mostly, succeed in papering over the joins. Firth proves fully able to take on the form of Paul, a man whose mind is permanently elsewhere; usually he's listening to radio commentary, sometimes just replaying old goals. Paul really only pays attention when the subject turns to football. Strong is adequate as second fiddle, though we never get to know him in any depth. Gemmell's the one who matters, since her arrival leads us into this epic struggle of love and misunderstanding, gives us two people separated by a simple game. Her acting is delightfully nuanced, sweeping across the full spectrum of feeling. It's a pity then that Fever Pitch seems to wrap up too easily, turning out a finale which is structurally satisfying but otherwise a bit of a con.

So, will Fever Pitch appeal to someone who cares nothing for soccer, to use the formal term? Yes, if only because the story isn't actually about football, it's about the fans that adore it. Clips of real-life matches are sprinkled liberally throughout the movie but fortunately they form a greatest hits collection of neat passes and inspired goals. The experience is nowhere near as painful as watching an entire 90 minutes! Maybe the fact that this is a thoroughly English tale will put some folk off? Perhaps but then they'll miss one of the few recent films to delve into the heart of what it means to be born and bred here. Not at all like the land of Shakespeare methinks, merely an environment shaped by the glacial weight of a thousand sitcoms.

Apollo Movie Guide - 1999

Ryan Cracknell

Ah, football (or soccer for those in North America) - 11 players a side trying to get a melon-sized ball down a field, past the goalkeeper and into the net. Scores of 1-0, 2-1, or even 0-0 are the norm. Doesn't sound too exciting, does it? Well, it's the world's most popular sport and as such, has its fair share of obsessive fans who live for their favourite team.

Paul (Colin Firth) is one such fan. For 18 years he's been memorizing stats, collecting stickers and taking in all the home games of the Arsenal squad. On the side, he's a popular English teacher with two children and an ex-wife.* Arsenal is the most important thing in Paul's life. When they score, he's happier than a 10-year-old boy finding a BB gun under the Christmas tree. However, Paul's priorities are challenged when he becomes involved with Sarah (Ruth Gemmell), a teacher who takes over the classroom next to his.

There's lots of humour in Fever Pitch that keeps it going. Based on Nick Hornby's autobiography, the film delves into the obsession that consumes so many of us – watching sports. Unless your livelihood depends on it, or you're a gambler, the outcome is ultimately trivial. Yet so many of us, myself included, spend hours glued to our television sets or sitting in drafty arenas and stadiums, bobbing up and down in our seats in anticipation of a goal, run or touchdown. Fever Pitch scores by going to great lengths to demonstrate such obsessions and even give hope that there is something beyond the game.

Some of the best scenes come from director David Evans' cross-cuts between the grown Paul and flashbacks to his adolescence, just setting out on a lifetime of worship Arsenal.

A major problem with Fever Pitch is that there is no real change in Paul as the story proceeds. His loyalty to his team causes much of the film's conflict. However, his stubbornness ends up harming the film, as the lack of character development makes it much less interesting than it might have been. Through the good times and the bad, Paul stands his ground and continues to cheer his team, no matter what.

I also have a big problem with the misleading promotion of this film. For example, the video jacket makes the film out to be more erotic and sexy than funny. Many people are going to be misled by this kind of promotion. Some people are likely to be surprised and disappointed when they find out the 'R' rating is for nothing more than a bunch of four-letter words rather than a whole lot of pillow talk.

Like any game, nobody can win everything. Although significantly flawed, the final result for Fever Pitch is pleasant.

*(NOTE: The story does not contain info that Paul was ever married or had any children)

Review of Fever Pitch
By: Cindi

Let's get one thing straight, Fever Pitch has nothing to do with football (or Soccer if you prefer). It is about what is important to us, how that causes conflicts in our relationships; in short it's about life.

Paul Ashworth and his team, Arsenal, have had a life long love affair. It all began when after his parents' divorce; Paul's father took him to football matches in an attempt to bond with him. But Paul, wary of deep bonds, felt disconnected from his family and the only "family" he did bond with was Arsenal and the other fans. With Arsenal he felt connected; everyone in that family had the same goals and desires as he did. Fast forward 18 years later, Paul is still enmeshed in his Arsenal family. He is only on the fringe of adulthood, being just grownup enough to make enough money to pay his bills and buy his Arsenal tickets. The only significant relationship in his life is still the one he has with Arsenal. But all of this is good enough for him. Enter Sarah Hughes, a fellow teacher at school who is the polar opposite of Paul. Sarah has embraced adulthood with gusto and thinks Paul is an immature football fanatic; Paul thinks Sarah is an uptight feminist. So, of course, you know they are destined for each other.

Throughout this movie, Colin is scruffy, disheveled, he swears, he smokes and I found him too damn sexy for words. I have fantasies about running my fingers though that unruly hair and ripping off those Arsenal boxer shorts. I also believe that Paul is the closet glimpse we will ever see of Colin's true personality, just a regular bloke with no airs about him. Until his marriage, he lived in a modest flat in the Hackney section of London and most of the clothes he wore as Paul were from his own closet. Because of his versatility as an actor, Colin takes what could be a difficult and limited character and turns him into someone adorable and charming. Paul is fun, absolutely obsessive and rather bonkers, a man who goes ballistic upon hearing the phrase, "it's only a game". But despite Paul's character flaws, or maybe because of them, you can't help but like the guy. This character I can fully relate too. Mark Darcy is a fantasy, an ideal; Paul Ashworth is reality and truth. I haven't met many Mark Darcys in my life, but I know many Pauls. Paul is guileless, what you see is what you get and he makes no excuses for himself. While it may appear on the surface that Paul is clueless as to the direction his life is heading, the scene at the Indian Restaurant tells a different story. He knows he is a victim of arrested development and is totally aware that Sarah and their baby is his last chance for a life that has more meaning. Colin plays that flawlessly, showing so much emotion and vulnerability. He is earnest and eager and almost desperate to convince Sarah that they could work as a couple. Sarah, however, has misgivings and when she tells him as much, Colin just shines as he shows us Paul's confusion and hurt about her hesitation to marry him.

Some have given Ruth Gemmell a hard time in her portrayal of Sarah. Let's face it; she didn't exactly have the sympathetic role here. She's the rain on Paul's parade. Ruth rose to the challenge admirably. She had to be "Iron Knickers Hughes" for this film to work. Sarah did force Paul to come to terms with life, albeit through an unplanned pregnancy and he brought fun into Sarah's stoic existence. I did find Sarah a more conflicted character than Paul. Paul, I felt was more self-aware, he knew who he was. Sarah thought she knew and despite her better judgment she falls for him even though he is the antithesis of what she wanted in a partner. We watch Sarah struggle as she gets caught up in Paul's world and to her complete chagrin she finds herself watching matches and actually caring about the outcome.

Fever Pitch has more depth that the usual "opposites attracting" scenario because we get to examine the characters' lives, needs and motivations and can see many of our own reflected back at us. It would have been easy, but very disappointing to make this film exclusively for the sports-obsessed yob. But because of the witty dialogue of Nick Hornby, Colin's very human Paul and Ruth's conflicted Sarah, Fever Pitch rises above that limitation into something we can all relate to indeed.