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Absolutely Fantastic

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Sarah Hughes is the strict new math teacher and Paul Ashworth (Colin Firth) is the likable football-loving English teacher. The two are like fire and ice. He learned his love of Arsenal football from his father and uses it to connect with the students. Hughes' ice is soon melted. In flashbacks, his history with football is shown. It all culminates with the final game against Liverpool.It concentrates a lot on the value of football love. It's sincere in the defense of fandom. It's actually serious and it's not as comedic as I want. I must be missing most of the football humor. I'm not really understanding the jokes. The rom-com takes a backseat to the pontification of football. The couple's chemistry isn't really there. They don't mix and she's kinda stiff. They're arguing most of the time. At least, there is the magnetic Colin Firth. I'm sure this is fun but I wouldn't know. This is more of a local story that doesn't quite translate.

If you are looking to see a romantic comedy I would recommend this British film. It's funny, it's serious, and of course romantic, without being sentimental. The movie felt like a big smile, but the question is; can the love for football and the club Arsenal be combined with the love for a woman? Paul is obsessed with football and 'The Gunners', but Sarah has no idea what this game is all about.The writer Nick Hornby wrote this novel in the 80s, and he is also the man behind the script. He also has a little cameo as a coach for a boy's football team. The story takes place in 1989, and this proved to be an enjoyable and fun movie. I could see myself in my younger days watching the Norwegian team Rosenborg and British Manchester United play, and relating to this movie's depiction of enthusiasm, empathy, anxiety, and even grief, on behalf of the team.Fever Pitch rises above all those anonymous romantic comedies. There is something here that I've never seen before; the environment, the dialogues, and the actors; it has all made this story into something different. As Paul says; "There's always a reason to love what you love". That's passion. For the main character, Arsenal was the social channel to his family and friends, the team meant life and affiliation.Everything is told with intelligence and good humour. The actors gives us capturing performances, especially Colin Firth, he is sparkling with his growing dilemma - football or Sarah, or maybe both? This movie puts across the necessity to be thrilled by football - and of course by fellow humans. This movie for certain a feel good movie!

Not a sports movie, per se, as those tend to focus on athletes, but a fan movie. (I wasn't aware that they were called fans in England, I had always heard the term "football supporter") Colin Firth plays a lifelong soccer fan, from his formative years. I don't know if his obsessiveness is at all common in England, but it must be enough so for people to recognize the archetype. I have not seen the American remake, which focuses on baseball, (probably because of the word "pitch" in the title) but in the States, that sort of fandom comes closer to (American) football. But it never get like this. The story is about how his fanaticism drives his entire life, overcoming love, marriage, parenthood, and all else. It's an OK film, but I find it hard to recommend.

Teacher Paul Ashworth (Firth) has always been an avid Arsenal football club supporter and when he starts dating a fellow teacher his love for the sport clouds his other purposes in life.The first thing that will strike you about Fever Pitch is that it has the most boring opening to a film in all of time. The second thing you will see is the appreciation the film has of all emotions relating to the beautiful game and how it affects beliefs, life and so forth.Being a fan of British cinema I let the sleepy beginning slide and sat back to watch the film grow into this intriguing reflection on the football side of life and how Colin Firth brandished out on his typecast lover's role for once and created a remarkable shot at a man lost in a world of sport.Bridget Jones, Pride and Prejudice, Mamma Mia and Love Actually. The common factor is? You're right, they're all awful. But they are all also romantic comedies and star Mr Firth as a brandished eye candy for the female viewers. I've never personally been his biggest fan, and like Hugh Grant in About a Boy, it is good to see him brandish away from the Prince Charming perception and dive more into drama. This hard nosed football fanatic is a glorious exploration of obsession with no way of real world understanding and having seen many of his films, he to me has never bettered this. But with A Single Man due next year critics are suggesting it's his time for an Oscar.Sadly we can never fully escape his typecast and we see a love interest inserted to balance out the good and bad of his football obsession. This is almost as ridiculous as Love Actually, there was a brief laugh and then they're snogging, having argued previously in the week. Her jealousy and animosity completely contradicts what is to follow it and Ruth Gemmell in all honesty, brings little but negative vibes to the film.As a fan of football I found the representation quite an accurate depiction of the way the football world used to be and how we as neutrals watched with eager anticipation to see our favourite players march onto the field to the cheers and plaudits of the crowd. Now in a world where we see players selling perfume with their wives (Beckham) and more stories off field than on (manager sackings etc) it has been quite a while since the game has really been viewed as a game of sport and not of tabloid tales. This film however looks beyond the press and sees it as purely a fan's perspective, which benefits it.The scene in the stadium that introduces Ruth Gemmell to the game is a great collaboration of fan's passion and youthful exuberance.The final game we see is a title decider and whether you support Arsenal or not you will be gripped with the fans on screen to see the outcome. Despite major flaws with flashbacks, narration and love interests David Evans has created a good intended drama that is a good reflection of fans emotions to the game.