Rent Fever Pitch (1997)

Hilarious RomCom - Fever Pitch review by GI

Hilarious British RomCom based on the autobiographical novel by Nick Hornby who wrote the screenplay (the film story bears little resemblance to Hornby's diary like ode to a football fan). Set in the 1980s (with flashbacks to the 60s) it's all about a schoolteacher who is an obsessive fan of Arsenal football club, a passion that makes him popular with his pupils and their fathers. He coaches the school team, has a carefree everyday life except he despairs that Arsenal will ever win anything. Against the odds he begins a relationship with a frosty fellow teacher who is simply baffled by his football mania. When she falls pregnant he has to make some life changing decisions. This is thematically a film about gender conflicts and a conflict of priorities wrapped around a male/female divide. It's really very funny and ranks as one of the best of the British wave of romcoms from the 1990s. Colin Firth is great as the man/child with an 80s perm who loves nothing more than his student lifestyle with his best friend played hilariously by Mark Strong. They appear uninterested in sex or indeed women in general until Ruth Gemmell's sexually repressed woman appears and their blossoming love life is frustrated by the machismo obsession of Arsenal. Just when you think the film creates a complete separation over gender it opens up the divide to show the passion is for all. Everyone becomes caught up in the excitement of the team's big game. Anyway however you want to read the sexual politics on display here this is a very funny film, typically British in humour and style and brilliantly recreates school life in the 80s. A feel good film that needs rediscovering.