Stars: Colin Firth, Ruth Gemmell, Mark Strong, Neil Pearson, Holly Aird, Ken Stott, Lorraine Ashbourne

Director: David Evans

Summary: A teacher whose life revolves around Arsenal Football Club becomes romantically involved with a fellow teacher, who has little understanding of the game.

When Paul (Firth), a middle-aged British teacher who nurses an obsession for the North London football team Arsenal, meets Sarah, a seemingly uptight young woman who is a single-minded professional, he is forced to drastically re-evaluate his life. Sarah loathes the sport, while Paul's entire life is based on it--it is the only place in his life that allows him to feel true joy or pain, as well as a sense of national identity. Soon, Sarah is pregnant, and although she's growing to enjoy her husband's pastime, she worries that Paul cares more for the sport than for the relationship and the impending arrival of fatherhood. Paul observes how the relationship is indeed mirroring the team's streak of wins and losses. But with Arsenal in contention for the 1989 First Division Championship, after an 18 year barren spell, Paul and Sarah have one fleeting chance to restore their touchy union. The film is lent an extra dash of realism in that Arsenal's victory in the final moments of their 1989 campaign is considered one of the most dramatic moments in the history of British soccer. FEVER PITCH is based on the novel by Nick Hornby, whose subsequent efforts-- HIGH FIDELITY and ABOUT A BOY--confirmed his appeal as an author and inspired further box office successes.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on April 5, 2006 11:21 AM

Adapted by Nick Hornby from his own best - selling book , Fever Pitch is one of the funniest , most believable , and most talked about films in years . Meet Paul ; a man with a life - long obsession - football ! When he meets his other obsession in life , Sarah , he soon discovers that unlike football , relationships aren't played out in seasons . As their frequently hilarious romance begins to develop in tandem with the roller - coaster fortunes of the League Championship , what will the future hold . Can Paul and Sarah last ?
Will his season end in glory ? Things are beginning to reach Fever
Pitch !

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In Fever Pitchrumpled, amiable Colin Firth plays a rumpled, amiable English teacher named Paul. He's also an obsessive football fan who's been avidly following Arsenal for 18 years. When he falls into a relationship with a new teacher named Sarah (Ruth Gemmel), his deep attachment to Arsenal proves an obstacle. This sounds like some cheap men-and-women-don't-understand-each-other setup, but instead Fever Pitchnot only explores the origins of Paul's football fandom, it actually communicates an infectious sense of what that kind of sports enthusiasm can mean, how it can provide an almost tribal identity. Even better, the movie takes this devotion seriously without ever losing sight of how it can be completely ridiculous at the same time, resulting in some amazing, funny scenes. Gemmel is charming, and Firth is simply superb. He's a great actor who, despite his memorable turn as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, never quite fits into conventional leading man roles and so has tended to play oddballs and redeemable villains, as in Shakespeare in Loveand The English Patient. He's a perfect fit for this script, written by Nick Hornby (author of High Fidelityand About a Boy) from his novel of the same name. The humour of Fever Pitchis all the more engaging because it's grounded in richly developed characters and emotions. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Scene Index, Theatrical Trailer, Photo Library
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1996
Release Date:	June 7, 2004
Runtime:	97 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 8825
Label:	Film Four Distributors
Keywords:	Football, Sport, Comedy, England, Fever, Pitch, Romance
Genre:	Comedy