Fever Pitch ** (1997, Colin Firth, Ruth Gemmell, Luke Aikman, Neil Pearson, Mark Strong) – Classic Movie Review 6073

Debut director David Evans turns Nick Hornby’s best-selling autobiography into a sticky romantic comedy about a man a crazy over a football team and considerably less interested in a woman, set during the 1988-89 football season. Alas the pitch is not perfect.

Colin Firth plays Paul Ashworth, a thirtysomething English teacher at a north London comprehensive school, who starts a stormy relationship with his more refined colleague Sarah Hughes (played by Ruth Gemmell). More importantly, Firth is obsessed with the Arsenal Football Club, for reasons the film sketches in flashback. But Arsenal’s chance of winning the Football League championship after a barren run of 18 years is imperiled by a catastrophic home defeat by Derby County. As Firth’s relationship with his girlfriend and his school reach twin crises, Arsenal get one more chance, an impossible-looking game away at Liverpool.

The rather smug and self-satisfied film obviously thinks the soccer-obsessed hero is far more charismatic than he is. He emerges in Firth’s convincing portrayal as a selfish, slobbish character so far from his charismatically romantic Mr Darcy that, rather than wish the couple a happy ever after, you fear for Sarah Hughes (Gemmell)’s well-being.

The film-makers have turned the autobiography narrated in the first person into an externalised work of fiction based on characters suggested by Hornby’s life. In doing so the charm and humour have gone, and an uneasy story with a contrived feeling and stereotyped characters has been substituted.

The heartiness and good cheer seem imposed and false, the flashback structure is confusing and adds little that is worthwhile, and the story itself appears thin and uninteresting. It is not about football at all – we hardly see a game. And it would have been much more rousing if it had been.

[Spoiler alert] The supposedly feel-good ending (Arsenal win!) is more troubling than elating. We are left wondering how on earth this selfish bloke and selfless girlfriend are going to live happily together. Memo to the Gemmell character: ditch the Firth character and find someone much, much nicer!

Also in the cast are Luke Aikman as young Paul, Neil Pearson as Paul’s Dad, Mark Strong as Steve, Bea Guard as Paul’s Sister, Richard Claxton, Ken Stott as Ted the headmaster, Holly Airs, Lorraine Ashbourne as Paul’s Mum, Peter Quince, Charles Cork, Bob Curtiss, Philip Bond and Scott Baker.

It is shot by Chris Seager, produced by Nik Powell, Stephen Woolley and Amanda Posey, scored by Neil MacColl and Boo Hewerdine, and designed by Michael Carlin

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6073

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