Schoolteacher Ben (Fallon) has been obsessed with the Boston Red Sox since he was 7, so inheriting a pair of prime season tickets was about the best thing that could've happened to him. But his over-the-top baseball mania has sabotaged every relationship he's had. Then he meets Lindsay (Barrymore), a high-powered career woman and girl of his dreams. But the impending 2004 baseball season is going to shake their relationship to the breaking point. And possibly beyond.

Although their relationship is never in doubt, since the writers have forced Hornby's story into a standard rom-com structure. This predictable plot feels increasingly contrived and corny as it tries to convince us that anything unexpected might happen. So the only surprise is the baseball season; in 2004 the Sox inconceivably broke their near century-long losing streak, requiring last-minute rewrites that turn the film into an even sweeter fairy tale than was intended.

Fortunately, there's enough raw talent to sustain even the lamest plotline. Barrymore is as effortlessly charming as always. Indeed, she barely breaks a sweat with this performance, and yet she still wins us over completely. Fallon is surprisingly good, cancelling out his horrible previous film (which I will not mention) to make Ben a genuinely cute, nice guy with a very scary side. They're surrounded by a large selection of wacky friends, colleagues and family members who, rather than scene-stealing, combine into a nicely realistic community around the central couple.

The Farrellys rein in their grotesque humour (besides one terrific sequence that centres on vomiting). Basically, the comedy isn't very funny, and the romance is deeply predictable. But the characters are endearing and the baseball stuff actually captures the magic of the game, filmed at real matches and highlighting the camaraderie between fans and the atmosphere of the stands.

themes, language, innuendo

26.May.05