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The Perfect Catch Directors: Bobby & Peter Farrelly Rated: M Now screening 
Ben (Jimmy Fallon) is a teacher who is good at his job and great to
his friends. One day he meets Lindsey (Drew Barrymore), a fast working
corporate executive who has little time for romance. However, they
start dating and sparks fly. Unfortunately for Lindsey, Ben has another
passion - he is a lifelong follower of the Red Sox baseball team,
and goes to every single game and collects anything to do with the
team. Eventually Ben has to make a choice between having the girl
or letting go of his 'Sox obsession. Cleverly, the story takes place
over the baseball season so we see the ups and downs of the team and
also of a relationship. Bobby & Peter Farrelly are the directors of 'The Perfect Catch' and do a very fine job, even though they're better known for their 'gross out' comedies such as 'There's Something About Mary', and 'Shallow Hal'. Their films have always had an undercurrent of social commentary to them, and this film explores how obsession can grip someone to the detriment of everything else in their life. This film is based on a novel by Nick Hornby, who also penned 'About A Boy' & 'High Fidelity', both made into successful films. Jimmy Fallon as Ben does a very good job of portraying the obsessed fan and his dilemma in trying to wean himself off the love for baseball. At times you feel sympathetic for his character, and others you just wish he'd grow up! Fallon hasn't done much film work - his last film was the awful 'Taxi', so it's good to see that he can actually act in this one. Drew Barrymore is good as always in a very mature role; her character is definitely not a push over and does her best to go along with Ben's fan worship. However, when she's pushed to the limit it's up to Ben to decide what is more important to him. Barrymore and Fallon make quite a charming pair, and are very believable in their roles. The rest of the cast do a fine job in their small parts, and help drive the story along at a brisk pace. This is a very easy going film which doesn't outstay its welcome, and has a good message amongst the carry on. It does stick fairly closely to the romantic comedy formula, however the engaging performances of the leads keep things reasonably unpredictable. A quite adequate crowd pleaser.  |
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