Fever Pitch (1997 film)

Fever Pitch
Fever Pitch
	UK theatrical release poster
Directed by	David Evans
Screenplay by	Nick Hornby
Based on	Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life; by Nick Hornby
Produced by	Amanda Posey
Starring	Colin Firth; Ruth Gemmell; Neil Pearson; Lorraine Ashbourne; Mark Strong; Holly Aird; Ken Stott;
Cinematography	Chris Seager
Edited by	Scott Thomas
Music by	Boo Hewerdine; Neil MacColl
Production; company	Channel 4 Films
Distributed by	Phaedra Cinema
Release date	4 April 1997;
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Fever Pitch is a 1997 film starring Colin Firth, based loosely on Nick Hornby's best-selling memoir, Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life (1992).^[1]

Plot

Hornby adapted the book for the screen and fictionalised the story, concentrating on Arsenal's First Division championship-winning season in 1988–89^[1] and its effect on the protagonist's romantic relationship. Firth plays Paul Ashworth, the character based on Hornby, a teacher at a school in south Hertfordshire and his romance with Sarah Hughes (Ruth Gemmell), a new teacher who joins Ashworth's school. The film culminates with the real life events of Arsenal's match against title rivals Liverpool in the final game of the season on 26 May 1989. A Michael Thomas last-minute goal giving Arsenal the 2–0 win they needed to win the title.

Cast

Colin Firth as Paul Ashworth
Ruth Gemmell as Sarah Hughes
Mark Strong as Steve
Neil Pearson as Mr. Ashworth
Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Ashworth
Holly Aird as Jo
Stephen Rea as Ray
Emily Conway as Sasha
Richard Claxton as Robert Parker
Andy Raines as Football Referee
Mike Ingham as Radio Announcer
Ken Stott as Ted, the Headmaster

Production

The film also stars Neil Pearson as Paul's father and Mark Strong as Steve, Paul's best friend. Nick Hornby has a cameo as a beaten opposition manager in a school football match. Parts of the film were shot on location in the surroundings of Arsenal Stadium in Highbury; as the terracing at Highbury had since been replaced, the scenes of fans on the terraces were instead filmed at Fulham's Craven Cottage stadium.

Remake

In 2005, the film was remade in an American version also entitled Fever Pitch starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, with the 2004 World Series Boston Red Sox replacing Arsenal. To avoid confusion, this 2005 remake is known as The Perfect Catch in the UK.

References

^ ^a ^b Derek Elley (5 April 1997). "Fever Pitch". Variety.com. Retrieved 26 December 2019.

"Fever Pitch". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2019.

External links

Fever Pitch at IMDb
Fever Pitch at Rotten Tomatoes

[variety-1] Derek Elley (5 April 1997). "Fever Pitch". Variety.com. Retrieved 26 December 2019.

[1]

v t e Works by Nick Hornby
Novels	High Fidelity About a Boy How to Be Good A Long Way Down Slam Juliet, Naked Funny Girl
Non-fiction books	Fever Pitch Songbook The Polysyllabic Spree Housekeeping vs. The Dirt Shakespeare Wrote for Money More Baths Less Talking
Screenplays	Fever Pitch (1997) An Education (2009) Wild (2014) Brooklyn (2015) Love, Nina (2016) State of the Union (2019)
Adaptations	Fever Pitch (1997) High Fidelity (2000) About a Boy (2002) Fever Pitch (2005) About a Boy (2014–2015) A Long Way Down (2014) Slam (2016) Juliet, Naked (2018) High Fidelity (2020) Funny Woman (2023)