Farrellys make wild new ‘Pitch’
PEGGY J. ROGERS
Ben’s lifelong obsession as a Red Sox fan is a deal-breaker with the
women he meets.
Every room in his house is a shrine to the baseball team,
including the bathroom. That is one romantic strike against Ben
(Jimmy Fallon from “Saturday Night Live”).
His taste in clothes is limited to “an afternoon at Fenway Park”
attire. That is another strike against Ben.
And finally, Ben puts his personal life on hold every spring and
summer to think about the Red Sox, talk about the Red Sox and go see
them play. Ben’s obsession with the sport, simply put, is a strikeout
with his girlfriends. However, his newest girlfriend promises to be
different.
Like Ben, Lindsey (Drew Barrymore) has been striking out with men
given her own obsession. Lindsey’s passion is her work. She pours all
her energies into her job, late into the night and often long into
the weekend. It proves to be a deal breaker with the guys Lindsey
dates.
Good fortune smiles on Ben and Lindsey by having them meet in the
fall. Ben is between baseball seasons and Lindsey happens to be
between major projects. The two of them are so comfortable and happy
together that they feel invincible and able to survive with each
other where others have failed. Ben is preparing for baseball season
and Lindsey is preparing to earn a promotion at work. Lindsey is
relieved that Ben will be busy watching the games since she will be
consumed at work.
It is a win-win situation. A short-lived win. Once the opening
pitch is thrown at Fenway Park, the only way Lindsey and Ben are
going to get any time face time is by Lindsey sacrificing her time,
her sleep and ultimately her promotion. And that is a deal breaker
for Lindsey.
The romantic comedy “Fever Pitch” hits a home run because it
addresses contemporary issues that couples grapple with today. Being
30 and dating involves a different set of behaviors and expectations
than being 20 and dating. Ben scores sometimes in this department,
but misses a lot, like when he chooses to go to the game instead of
being there to support Lindsey during a turbulent personal time in
her, and his, life.
The additional 10 years brings experience, maturity and, for some,
a sense of pressure. All of Lindsey’s friends are in successful
long-term relationships. Some want Lindsey and Ben to work out, some
have a wait-and-see attitude and others try to take advantage of the
struggles they face as a couple.
Directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly have taken advantage of the
years of experience they have gained since their breakout hit,
“There’s Something About Mary?”
A few changes have been made. The brothers teamed up with writers
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who have co-written films such as
“Parenthood.” The result has been a toning down of the sight gags and
sense of humor. Diluting the comedy changes the type of audience the
directors have been famous for attracting from teenage boys to
twenty-something couples.
There is also a quaint old-fashioned mood to the film. All of the
Fenway Park scenes and Ben’s neighborhood have a late 1940s to early
1950s look, in terms of architecture and memorabilia. The nostalgic
look is a fitting mood for one of the few sports that is not played
by the clock.
“Fever Pitch” is a clever story touting the remarkable power that
love has in our personal life and the world at large. Although the
“boy-meets-girl” story is a familiar classic, the latest go-round has
added enough new twists, and a few fresh takes to make watching the
comedy be a fun experience.
* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 40, produces commercial videos and
documentaries.
‘Lipstick’ brings
the past to life
There’s something lurid and unseemly about female wrestling, which
is, of course, why it’s so appealing. The new documentary, “Lipstick
& Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: First Ladies of Wrestling,” chronicles
the lives of the women who pioneered women’s wrestling in the time
period before and after World War II.
“Lipstick and Dynamite” gives audiences a close-up look at women
who disregarded all of the gender rules of their time.
In the era of June Cleaver, women weren’t encouraged to be
physically dominant. Nor were they encouraged to be independent from
men, both emotionally and financially. Lady wrestlers traveled alone,
dealt with unscrupulous promoters and controlled their own lives.
These were truly independent women in an era when that was a rarity.
It wasn’t too surprising to learn that many of the women had
become tough after coming out of physically abusive environments.
After living with parents, boyfriends or husbands who were bullies,
these women decided to learn how to dish it out as well as take it.
One of the problems I have with “Lipstick and Dynamite” is that it
isn’t honest about wrestling as entertainment. What these women
really do isn’t wrestling, it’s rasslin’. They are, without a doubt,
fantastic athletes, but when the outcome of an event is scripted,
it’s entertainment and not a sport.
The movie talks very little about the storylines of heroes vs.
villains, other than mentioning that sometimes it was necessary to
erect chicken wire fences to block the debris thrown by fans. At some
events, beer company sponsors provided free beer, which meant the
“heels” (villains) would be in for a messy night.
Director Ruth Leitman chose an interesting subject, and seems
genuinely fond of all of the women she interviews. Unfortunately,
there are times she treats her subjects a little too gently and isn’t
willing to press the women for details.
A wrestler named the Fabulous Moolah went on to become a promoter
who was every bit as unscrupulous as the scumbag men of her era. In
the film, some of the women promoted by Moolah accuse her of trying
to prevent them from leaving wrestling and starting a new life. It’s
unfortunate that Leitman never confronts Moolah about this charge,
and seems afraid to ask any of the women really difficult questions.
Another problem is that Leitman only flashes the name of each
woman on the screen once, when they’re introduced. Although my skull
is basically intact -- unlike the oldest wrestler in the movie,
Gladys “Killem” Gillem (who suffered a major head injury early in her
career) -- my brain just isn’t quick enough to pick up all of the
names Leitman expects me to learn in the first five minutes.
One of the big highlights of “Lipstick and Dynamite” is the
amazing archival footage of all of the women that Leitman has dug up.
Their speed, strength, and athleticism are second to none. A pox on
anyone who calls what these women do fake. They kick butt.
In contrast, the modern footage of Johnny Mae Young and Moolah
wrestling for Vince McMahon on cable TV is just sad and pathetic.
Overall, “Lipstick and Dynamite” is a fitting tribute to women who
believed they could do anything that a man could do and weren’t
afraid to prove it. I was one of three people in the theater when I
saw this movie, so don’t expect this limited release to last very
long. Leitman shot this as a small screen movie anyway, so you’re
better off watching it at home on DVD.
* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.
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