Clowns to the left of me, Red Sox to the right

Fever Pitch (2005)
Fox 2000 Pictures presents a Bobby & Peter Farrelly film, starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. Written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, from a book by Nick Hornby. 101m. PG-13 for crude and sexual humor and some sensuality.

3 stars

I think one of the reasons I love the Boston Red Sox is that their seasons have a very cinematic structure. They are the lovable underdog, who scrap and fight to the top before finding some excruciatingly painful way to lose to their evil doppelganger, the Yankees.

Since their inevitable collapse always comes late in the season, Red Sox faithful steadfastly wait by their team’s side until each devastating blow has been cast. It’s a remarkable commitment for the diehards - from early April to the time of Bucky, Buckner and the Babe. Since their dedication is unparalleled, it’s certainly ripe for cinematic appropriation.

Enter “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Jimmy Fallon, whose role still hasn’t evolved out of the supporting element into bona fide lead. He’s Ben, who’s only had one stable element in his life since age 7: the Red Sox’s impressive string of runner-up finishes.

He meets Lindsey (Drew Barrymore) in the off-season. She’s looking to reverse a trend of dating within her work pool of high-powered yuppies. She chooses Ben because, as a school teacher with low-to-moderate good looks, he’s the antidote to all of Lindsey’s potential suitors.

A romance invariably develops, raising the radars of Lindsey’s overachieving friends. There must be a reason her boyfriend is approaching 30 and still on the market, they chide her.

Despite Ben’s best attempts to warn Lindsey’s of his obsessive tendencies toward the fellows of Fenway, she thinks his allegiance is cute. Lindsey meets Ben’s extended family, a rag-tag group of diehards, at opening day. They aren’t enamored with their fellow faithful’s choice, mostly because Lindsey is painfully ignorant of the Red Sox mystique.

The film uses the Red Sox typical season as frame for its storytelling. There’s the remarkably hot start, which teases fans into thinking: This could be the year. And then there’s the June swoon, where Ben and Lindsey’s relationship becomes rocky. Ben can’t distance himself from the team, which he says needs his undivided attention, while Lindsey risks being buried in an avalanche of real work.

The July and August rebound does little to help along the relationship, especially when Lindsey asks Ben to accompany her to Paris - and all he can think about is a weekend series with the Mariners. By September, things in both the Red Sox and relationship realms are looking almost over.

But Boston’s 2004 season couldn’t have felt more appropriate for the silver screen. The team overcame impossible odds to defeat the Yankees and take the World Series, a Herculean feat never before accomplished.

And by following the Red Sox, the movie transcends the whole “baseball-themed” approach. It’s a story of unhealthy addiction, certainly, but it’s also a reflection of an uncanny demonstration of commitment.

For Ben, the Red Sox is his life. It has brought him friends and close family-like relationships; their seasons have provided structure to his day-to-day agenda. Since his love for the team transcends all other expressions of affection, sharing the Red Sox with Lindsey was his way of expressing his fondness for her.

Both sides bend unnaturally to reach compromise for the sake of the relationship. And for the first time, Ben has put someone before his beloved team, a decision is not without ramifications.

But committed relationships are all about jumping hurdles in unison. Ben and Lindsey’s celebration on the field after game 4 of the World Series is not just a demonstration of their love prevailing. It’s a festivity of jinx-breaking: For the Sox, it’s been 86 years. For the Ben and Lindsey, it’s been one major presentation that went right instead of wrong, dealing with an apparent pregnancy, recovering from a blow to head by a line drive and finding love despite insurmountable odds.