Fever Pitch (1997)

I like Nick Hornby from About a Boy, though I didn't quite enjoy An Education but being a Gooner, I decided to get a glimpse at this movie– the result wasn't live up to what I was hope for.Most people here called it "the best football movie ever made" – I wouldn't disagree with them but for me, I rather find it so-so. Maybe with all the hype it got me too much hope. Or maybe seeing this movie after 14 years of it release isn't quite doing the trick. Anyway let talk about movie… The movie itself is quite slow but it compensate with great essence of football, the fan – the crowd – the spirit is all there throughout the whole film. But the romantic part wasn't what was I hope for. I somehow find it a bit too boring.The casting and acting was probably the best part of this movie and it work great, but that doesn't help the movie. The set was boring but you still the glimpse of the old Highbury and that can bring back memories. Having a little knowledge of 80' and Arsenal legend would help you understand great deal.Anyway I can't really recommend this movie to everyone since it is heavily base on the love for this game. If you want to see it, there quite a lot of things one need to know about this game and its fan.Rating: 5.5/10 (Grade: C)

This movie is laugh-out-loud funny, romantic in an anti-romance sort of way (I don't know what that means either) and has something to say about why men love sports. I'm a converted football fan after living in football crazy Spain now for almost 5 years. This is the best movie about football (soccer) that I have ever seen (the best movies are about baseball).I read the book years ago and liked it very much without knowing much about the game. To return to both the book and this fine film with my new fanaticism for the game (Valencia CF is my adopted team) has been a true pleasure.Colin Firth proves once again that he is funny, likable, and a fine actor. I believed his passion for Arsenal, and furthermore, I totally understand it. The Spanish have a lot of respect for the UK fans because they are so nutty about the game.I also learned a bit about the history of the Premier League. What a season that must have been! Here it's been Barça or Real Madrid (mostly Barça lately) winning almost everything.

A London football-obsessed school teacher has spent the last 20-some years, and every day going forward, viewing life through the one lens: his favorite team, The Arsenal Football Club. Having sublimated the grief of his parents' divorce through English Football, he views every week of his life as another football match in pursuit of fortunes always hiding.Colin Firth, who usually plays the archetypical sullen Brit, is resounding as author Nick Hornby's autobiographical noncommittal single man who's really just a lad grown up. Hornby's character then grows smitten a prim and proper English teacher who dislikes him at first but warms up to him and his enthusiasm for sport and life in general.Fever Pitch is a nice portrayal of the struggles of an irrational sports lover reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that, to the rest of the world, there are more important things than Saturday's game.written by Andy Frye, MySportsComplex.blogspot.com

Teacher Paul is an obsessive football supporter, his love of Arsenal F.C. knows no bounds. Sarah, who teaches at the same school as Paul, has very little in common with Paul. Inevitably they fall for each other, and inevitably Paul's love of The Arsenal starts to drive them apart.Nick Hornby is a very popular British writer who's other notable works comprise High Fidelity and About A Boy. With Fever Pitch he documented about the triumphant football season that Arsenal had in 1988/1989, while simultaneously outlaying his own stress inducing personal life that ran parallel with his football passion. In the novel, which became a monster seller, Hornby was able to perfectly form just how passionate and ridiculous the hardened football supporter can be {I've been there and done that myself thank you very much}, and tho some of it is expectedly lost in translation to the screen, the core essence is all there to make it a winning adaptation.Tho laced with truly funny sequences and English soccer in jokes, Fever Pitch is also a most tender and heartfelt piece. Parential problems are handled tidily by director David Evans, and crucially the female axis in this male dominated story is very well portrayed. Both Hornby and Evans do however owe a big debt of gratitude to its leading stars. Colin Firth {Paul} and Ruth Gemmell {Sarah} are wonderful, both understated and both providing an intimacy that at first didn't seem possible. Coming as it does in this particular season, the film encompasses the Hillsborough tragedy that left 96 football supporters tragically killed. This is expertly handled by all involved, with Firth particularly towering whilst acting from an armchair as he comes to terms with both the events on the TV screen, and his query laden girlfriend. Which leaves us with what exactly? Well it's a very British film, and it was no surprise to see it remade as an American piece in 2005. Funny and tender probably best sums up this 1997 film, obviously not as good as the book they say, but it's a mighty fine effort regardless. 7/10