Seeing a movie by the Farrelly Brothers is generally a hit and miss proposition. Some of their films, like “There’s Something About Mary” are so funny as to induce laughter almost to the point of hysterics, while others merely offer up an occasional chuckle. I find even their lesser films to be worth a watch for two simple reasons. First, there is no joke to lowbrow to include. For example, seeing Woody Harrelson take a drink right after milking a cow, only to learn it was a bull seconds later nearly caused me to throw up from a combination of laughter and revulsion. The other thing I respect about the Farrellys is that they are as anti-PC as you can possibly get. Most of their films deal with characters with all sorts of infirmities. In any given film, they poke fun at stutterers, handicapped people, and overweight people. And I’m not talking about subtle in-jokes, I mean in-your-face, over-the-top jokes However, I’ve noticed some of their more recent films have been a little less mean spirited. They’re still watchable, but they get their humor from a different source.

This is the case with “Fever Pitch”, which in and of itself is quite a hit and miss proposition. The film stars Jimmy Fallon as an obsessed Boston Red Sox fan and Drew Barrymore as his love interest. They seem to be the perfect match, except for his little obsession. Okay….his BIG obsession.

Part of the ‘hit’ in this film is the casting of Drew Barrymore. Despite some of my reservations about her due to some of the little newsworthy situations that hit the tabloids now and then, I have of late been impressed by her growth as an actress. I don’t see any Academy Awards coming her way anytime soon, but she has become extremely charismatic onscreen. She plays well in romantic comedies, even when they are broad in their humor, which is the case here. The ‘miss’ comes in the form of Jimmy Fallon. I’m not sure where anyone got the idea that he could carry a film, but I want to know what they were smoking when that contract shot across their desk. Fallon is a fairly funny guy, in small doses, but he really doesn’t have what it takes to want to watch him for over 6 minutes.

Fortunately for him, he was cast opposite Barrymore who does well enough to carry the film herself (much in the way she carried Adam Sandler through “50 First Dates”). It is her wit and charm that makes “Fever Pitch” as watchable and entertaining as it is. Of course, the first thing that goes through my mind when watching a film like this is why a cute girl like that would waste her time on such an obsessed fool. But then, I realize that art often imitates life as my gorgeous wife somehow finds herself attracted to me in spite of my obsessively compulsive DVD collecting.

As any good DVD should have, there are a few extras to help add to the worth of this release. First up is a fairly straight forward commentary by the Farrellys as well as a short gag reel. The commentary was average, the most interesting fact being that Barrymore’s father died during the filming, and they mention how well se held up through it all. If deleted scenes are your bag (they are rarely mine), there’s 13 of them here for you. You’ll also find a couple of very short featurettes and an episode of ‘Making the Scene” from the Fox Movie Channel focusing on the cast and crew’s work at the World Series.

“Fever Pitch” is what I would cal ‘run of the mill’ Farrellys. There are a few laughs and a lot of suspension of disbelief, but what saves the film is Barrymore’s overall performance.

Directed by: The Farrelly Brothers
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon
Extras: Commentary by directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, 13 deleted scenes, Gag reel, "Love Triangle" and "Break the Curse" featurettes, Making of scene: "Fever Pitch", Theatrical trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 9/13/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Website

We'll give Fever Pitch a C.