Fever Pitch (1997)

A sports fan's romantic courtship clashes with his obsession with his favorite football team.

Director:

David Evans

Writers:

Nick Hornby (book), Nick Hornby (screenplay)

Stars:

Colin Firth, Ruth Gemmell, Luke Aikman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Aikman	...	Young Paul
Bea Guard	...	Paul's Sister
Neil Pearson	...	Paul's Dad
Ruth Gemmell	...	Sarah Hughes
Colin Firth	...	Paul Ashworth
Richard Claxton	...	Robert Parker
Ken Stott	...	Ted, the Headmaster
Holly Aird	...	Jo
Mark Strong	...	Steve
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Paul's Mum
Peter Quince	...	Chip Shop: Frank
Charles Cork	...	Rex
Bob Curtiss	...	Stan
Philip Bond	...	Turnstile Operator
Scott Baker	...	Man Behind

Storyline

A romantic comedy about a man, a woman and a football team. Based on Nick Hornby's best selling autobiographical novel, Fever Pitch. English teacher Paul Ashworth believes his long standing obsession with Arsenal serves him well. But then he meets Sarah. Their relationship develops in tandem with Arsenal's roller coaster fortunes in the football league, both leading to a nail biting climax.

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Plot Keywords:

arsenal | teacher | fan | screenplay adapted by author | soccer fan | 

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Taglines:

Life gets complicated when you love one woman and worship eleven men

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 1997 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ballfieber

Filming Locations:

Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,093, 17 October 1999

Gross USA:

$3,736

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,736

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Scala Productions, Wildgaze Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Colin Firth and Mark Strong also appear in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017).

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Goofs

The final game of the season at Anfield kicked off at 8:05pm, it was nearly 10pm and dark by the time the match had finished (as you can see from the actual footage of the game) yet when the celebrations are going on back at Highbury it's still light.

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Quotes

Sarah Hughes: I don't think that Arsenal's home form is a sturdy enough basis for marriage and parenthood, do you?
Paul Ashworth: No. Not even this season.

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Connections

References Crossroads (1964)

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Soundtracks

All Around The World
Written by Lisa Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris
Performed by Lisa Stansfield

User Reviews

A Winner for Nick Hornby and Colin Firth

Nick Hornby strikes again! I watched this movie for Colin Firth, and enjoyed it as a fan and as a discriminating viewer. The script is excellent, particularly the dialogue (particularly in one delightful restaurant scene). I found the acting and craftsmanship satisfactory - be warned that dialogue can be quiet, so listen hard through the accents. The film is delightfully British, so I highly recommend it for Anglophiles, and as Nick Hornby knows how to do, it is a nice mix of the ludicrous and the thoughtful. The relationship the movie centers around is really interesting to follow. We wonder what makes it tick, but Colin Firth and Ruth Gemmell seem comfortable together, so it isn't unbelievable at all. I wasn't expecting "Fever Pitch" to be so good, but I find that I recommend it highly.