Based on the English film Fever Pitch (which starred a pre-Bridget Jones Colin Firth in Fallons role) and prior to that the Nick Hornby's (About A Boy and High Fidelity) novel of the same name (a soccer based story), The Perfect Catch
is a relative by-the-numbers romantic baseball sports
comedy. Which isn't a terrible thing by any means, however, with
The Farrelly Brothers - two men behind some of the most outrageous and
funny flicks of the 90's in Dumb and Dumber and Something About Mary at the helm, one goes in expecting a slightly higher joke-to-mushy ratio than is delivered. We
follow Lindsay (Drew Barrymore), a workaholic struggling with her
dating woes when by a hand of fate she meets mild schoolteacher Ben
(Jimmy Fallon doing his best impression of Adam Sandler) during a
school excursion. She falls in love with his endearing ways, and the
two embark on a loving winter relationship. However, when baseball's
spring training rolls around, Lindsay realises that the "Perfect Catch"
she believed she had, isn't as flawless as first thought. Put face to
face with Ben's true nature as a hardcore, obsessive, eternal Boston
Red Sox fan whose season tickets soon make trouble for their new
relationship, Lindsay must try to maintain a life while servicing Ben's
fandom. And soon, Lindsay begins to struggle to keep her
composure and remain in love. For their 8th feature film, the fun loving Farrelly Brothers, Peter and Bobby, have taken a considerable step back with The Perfect Catch.
Gone are the disappearing ejaculatory fluid jokes, instead sticking
relatively close to the genre and for the most part let the film lead
the way. That's not to say Catch isn't often hilarious
(Fallon's bumbly nature and Seth Cohen-esque manarisms are a standout)
and crushingly heart warming, but after 2003's disappointing conjoined
twin comedy Stuck on You, you can't help but think the
Farrellys have seemed to retire their shock value cinema in hopes of
capturing a genuinely peaceful romantic comedy on film. It may be
fluffy entertainment, but it works really well. The Farrellys
must be commended for making up for every bungled joke or flat spot by
presenting some pure baseball excitement. From the Green Monster to
Fenway Franks, the filmmakers adore every nook and cranny of the team,
and their eagerness to envelope the audience in the ambiance of the
field and the spectator stands. In fact, while filming Catch,
The Red Sox actually broke their 70 year curse, rewrites by the
Farrelly brothers had to be done immediately following the World Series
game 7 clincher against the New York Yankees to include the historic
2004 Boston Red Sox post-season. After the last play of the game during
the Red Sox celebration, stars Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon were
filmed celebrating with the team together on the field. A brief shot of
the filming could be seen live on the Fox broadcast of the World
Series. Fallon and Barrymore share a tart chemistry, which
eventually leads to warmth and hilarity as they struggle to deal with
their new curveball arrangement. Having been a Fallon fan during
his Saturday Night Live days, it was difficult to gage
whether bias was entering the equation when reviewing the film. After
last year's similarly "An entertaining movie we watched last night that
I will remember nothing significant about tomorrow" Taxi,
It was had to accept whether Fallon genuinely possesses leading man
material. However his timing and contagious good nature are put
to wonderful use throughout this film. He seems somewhat uncomfortable
in front of the camera, but Fallon shows a lot more reserve here, and I
found it impossible to resist his throwaway lines, in particular a
reference to Dr. Phil. Barrymore as always is equally
entertaining. While the role is a cakewalk for the actress, as it's the
same role she's played several times over (mostly next to Sandler) her
love struck face is note-perfect, and she's always game to bail out
Fallon when a joke isn't working. And, without upsetting the
girlfriend, she's just a little bit of a sexy cutie as well. So
if your at the stage of the night when you and your partner have
scoured the shelves two or three times already, and the prospect of
your date movie looks to be between Saw and Honey, take a chance on The Perfect Catch. You may not remember anything about it the next day, but it will certainly make you're night a whole lot better. DVD
Extras Theres
a nice amount of extras here. With a Commentary by Peter and
Bobby Farrelly, over 10 deleted scenes, several Featurettes on the Red
Sox, a making of special, trailers and an impressively fun blooper reel. The
most bemusing of all the inclusions is an "Alternate Red Sox Ending",
which, from what I could tell was exactly the same as the normal
ending. Note to self, don't fool yourself into watching that
expecting...well...anything. Conclusion:
Movie 70% Extras: 60% 
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