fever pitch isn not a bad film while it a terrible film . be it possible american movie audience and critic be so numbed and lobotomized by the excrement that hollywood churn out that they will praise to the sky even a mediocre film with barely any laugh . that the only reason i can think of why this horrible romantic comedy ( and i use that term loosely because there nothing funny in this film ) be get good review . i sit through this film stun that screenwriter lowell ganz and babaloo mandel would even for an instant think their script be funny . the brilliant nick hornby usually translate well to film . he adapt fever pitch for a british film star colin firth and ruth gemmell in 1997 while peter hedge find hornby voice for about a boy ( 2002 ) and when high fidelity be americanize for a movie in 2000 and writer d. v. devincentis and steve pink and john cusack and scott rosenberg do not go wrong because they keep the essence of hornby wit and humor . they make one of the best film of that year . so why do the american version of fever pitch go so painfully awry . the british version wasn not a masterpiece and but it be charm and funny and unexpected and give u two character we could like and respect and understand . but ganz and mandel have excise everything funny in hornby work . in americanize the story and they have butcher it and remove all that be good and unique about hornby work and replace it with conventional drivel . they have transform a funny story into a formulaic romantic comedy and never once veer from the wretched formula . lindsey ( draw barrymore ) have three girlfriend and each of whom have a distinct function . one overweight and the second cynical and ambitious and and the third a romantic . want to guess how many male friend ben ( jimmy fallon ) have . what make high fidelity such fun be not only a good leading man and lady and but engage support character . in this fever pitch and the six support friend do or say nothing especially funny . theyre so insignificant and theyre not even decorative . the only reason theyre in the film be because the formula demand it . poor ione skye wind up a one lindsey pal in a thankless role . the lovely skye must have be wish lloyd dobler would swoop in and take her away . come to think of it and cusack would have make an excellent ben . of course and cusack be too smart to attach himself to such an utterly tedious script . there isn not a single and solitary moment in this film that seem original or unforced . every plot turn be predictable and every lame joke telegraph . ganz and mandel labor for laugh . the first 45 minute be so excruciatingly slow and you wonder if these chap realize they be write a comedy . you can mark the plot turn in this film by your watch . it almost a if ganz and mandel pen this with some screen write guru formula paste on the wall . when they get to a certain page and they look up at the formula and say and ok and the guru say this have to happen now . and and presto . director bobby and peter farrelly do not help the film any . they have no concept how to introduce their story and character ( they hand over the v. o. narration not to the protagonist and but to another guy who sit behind ben at fenway park ) . thanks to some extremely clunky writing and we have to watch barrymore and fallon stumble through their unfunny initial meeting . barrymore do cute and adorable good than most . she a good at it a goldie hawn in her heyday . but even her cuteness can not save this extraordinarily awful film . she try hard to wring some energy and humor out of this story . about 30 minute into the film and lindsey tell ben and youre funny . the only explanation for her remark be that it be in the script . for fallon ben never say anything even remotely funny . fallon be neither witty nor funny while when he do comedy and he overact . fallon be never any good on saturday night live . he be quite possibly the least funny person on that show . remember that lame sketch about a radio dj who do all the voice . the only reason weekend update work occasionally be because fallon cohort and tina fey and know a thing or two about comedy . actor who think theyre funny and behave that way rarely and if ever and be actually funny . that true of fallon . he think he hysterically funny when he barely raise a chuckle . his stuttering and unsure of himself shtick do not work on the small screen while it lousy on the big screen . unfortunately for fallon and his role in this picture also require a few dramatic moment . if you think his comedy be bad and wait till you get a load of his dramatic stuff . two scene in particular the first in a park and the second in front of ben school be painful to watch . the scene require an actor with a smidgen of dramatic ability and but fallon have neither the knowledge nor the ability to make them work . his range of emotion doesn not even run the gamut from a to b. ben have no personality or depth . often and he come across a an oaf . and not a lovable one at that . it boggle the mind what lindsey would find attractive about him . compare fallon performance to firth in the british version and and you will understand how terribly flat and unfunny and force fallon ben be and how wrong he be for this role . watch fallon in fever pitch make one long for the dramatic depth and comedic nuance of ashton kutcher . just as high fidelity do and an americanized fever pitch could have work brilliantly . it just need good writer and more competent director and and most definitely and a strong and funny and smarter lead man . do yourself a huge favor represent avoid this rotten film while rent the 1997 british version and read hornby book and instead .