Ballfieber

This film explores the life, thoughts and relationships of an obsessive sports fan. It happens to be have been made in England about a particularly dramatic title win (Arsenal's 1989 victory was the stuff of legend), but applies to obsessives everywhere, who pin all of their happiness on some team over which they can exert no control. The writing is insightful, for example "I don't know whether life is s*** because Arsenal are s***, or the other way around" will be recognised by any fan of a sporting (or political) team, and the central character's long-term reaction to the long-sought victory is spot on. The acting and direction are also spot on. The mellifluous Colin Firth leads an excellent ensemble, from which Mark Strong (as Firth's buddy) stands out. Like the best British films (Brassed Off, for example), this one has real situations and real, recognisable characters you care about, spiced with gentle comedy. I recommend this one warmly.

I am a middle-aged American woman who has never seen a soccer game and has never seen any kind of live sports game all the way through beyond Little League (3 brothers, 1 son). I live in a town where football is the main local religion. Nick Hornby's novel was a delight to read and really gave me some sense of the psychology as well as the anthropology of being a fan. I rented the movie because I wanted to SEE the novel: the stadium, the terraces, the colors, the craziness Hornby describes. Youtube and Wikipedia could tell me some about Alan Smith, Highbury, the Hillsborough tragedy, but not enough. The movie came through. Actual footage of games and scenes inside the stadium gave a powerful sense of what it's all about. The final sequence, in which various characters Paul's fandom has touched watch a championship game, was wonderfully moving. The plot has three characters--Paul the young fan, Paul the adult fan, and Sarah the outsider who is repelled by the irrationality, the loud and sweary masculinity of it all. The plot exists to allow Paul to expose, stubbornly as a child and articulately as an adult, what it means to be a fan. Sarah is there to force him into talking and thinking a bit about it. Both Pauls are marvelous. Colin Firth is amazing. His physical attractiveness is essential to the plot--it gets him into Sarah's bed so they can start talking about Arsenal-- and that simple fact leaves him huge amounts of room to be boyish, goofy, moody, clueless, innocent, and cruel.

The cover of the Feverpitch DVD does not relay to the consumer what a really great movie this is. Whether it is about soccer or football, we can all sort of relate to the characters in this story. To be honest, I got this movie because Colin Firth is in it and after doing some research figured it couldn't hurt to watch it. I had just seen his Hope Springs which I had to turn off, just didn't like the story line and even his gorgeousness could not keep me there. But Feverpitch just had me laughing and I think I actually stopped breathing minutes at a time. It is so hilarious how serious his character, Paul, took "football" and how hard it seemed for his new girlfriend to relate to his seriousness. All you Firth fans out there beware, this movie will only increase your love for this man. And those who are just wondering if it is worth the rent, I'd say no. It is worth the buy!

Fantastic. I had the pleasure of going to Highbury (Arsenal Stadium) twice to see the Gunners play in real Premiership clashes against Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon, and the soccer fanaticism portrayed in the film is NOT hyperbolized at all. As a Yank, i felt like a right outsider, but i was hooked instantly when i exited the Underground station and was swept away in the program selling, chips devouring, pin swapping, memorabilia peddling madness that is English Football.

Additionally, Fever Pitch is the ONLY modernly set British film i've seen that did not contain a single refference to American culture, film, TV, music, nothing...

A totally home grown Brit flick which (to use an American sporting analogy) hits it out of the park. Shamelessly sublime.

Late in 1999, this film finally became available in the US. If you are a soccer fan (or a fanatic of any sport), you will relate to this movie. This is an autobiographical book by Nick Hornby, a long-time Arsenal fan, who also did the screenplay. Incidently, the book is considered one of the best soccer books ever written. For those who liked High Fidelity, a book also written by Nick Hornby, and reset in Chicago, they will enjoy the romance of Fever Pitch, the movie. Colin Firth from Shakespeare in Love is excellent.