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Farrellys make wild new ‘Pitch’

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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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