Fever Pitch

If the 2005 movie season has been good for anything so far, it has been the romantic comedy. If you can think back to January and the release of "Sideways" and "In Good Company", moving to February with "Hitch", then March with "Guess Who". Of all those, April provides us with the best yet in "Fever Pitch".

Drew Barrymore stars as Lindsey, a single woman successful in business but failing in love, with Jimmy Fallon as Ben, a single male school teacher who builds up the nerve to ask Lindsey out on a date. Love blooms immediately between the two, but for as great as all of Lindsey's friends think Ben is, one suggests something's just not right. How could he still be single?

Lindsey discovers Ben's major passion in life when spring training starts up for the Boston Red Sox. Turns out Ben has been obsessed with the Red Sox for over 23 years. "Obsessed" really isn't a strong enough term. His apartment is decked out in everything Sox, his closet is nothing but Sox clothing, and his schedule in summer revolves around the baseball season. Ben's uncle, who first introduced him to Fenway Park and the Green Monster, left Ben a lifetime of season tickets in his will. For as much as Lindsey and Ben love each other, his devotion to the Red Sox and her ambition at work only seem to drive them apart.

"Fever Pitch" is a great relationship movie. Barrymore and Fallon click instantly on-screen, moreso I think than Barrymore and Adam Sandler in other movies. Fallon is perfect in his fan-obsessed role, not pulling out the over-the-top SNL character we've seen on TV. Barrymore brings more heart to the story than anything.

Men and women alike will enjoy "Fever Pitch", whether as a great date movie or as a fun take on Boston Red Sox fans. While you certainly won't strike out with the other romantic comedies mentioned above, "Fever Pitch" hits a home run. I give it an A.

"Fever Pitch" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 103 minutes.