The cover of the video is COMPLETELY misleading. I must admit that I never expected a film about a football fan to be either interesting or in-depth. I was surprised to find its US release under "New Arrivals" at my video store, and being a fan of Firth, I decided to give it a try. It's a very human story, and it is well-done. Nick Hornby's script is excellent, and he actually managed to pull me, a non-rabid fan of football, into understanding a little of what his character was going through. The inclusion of the childhood scenes was great for setting up why the character is still human, though he initially appears insane when taken in the greater context of human existence. He was portrayed very effectively by Firth, whose previous stand-out performance as Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" contrasts so sharply with the character that he plays in this film that I found myself almost cringing at the immaturity and madness portrayed by him...until the character grew on me and I felt more than just pity for him. Ruth Gemmell did a fine job of portraying Sarah, a woman who was frustratingly in love with a man who loved a sport. I liked watching the growth of both of their characters throughout the film. The thing that struck me about this film was the reality and "humanness" of it. I could see such a thing happening in actual life, and I appreciated the portrayal of the everyday struggles of learning to refocus your priorities and commit to loving someone.

Teacher Paul is an obsessive football supporter, his love of Arsenal F.C. knows no bounds. Sarah, who teaches at the same school as Paul, has very little in common with Paul. Inevitably they fall for each other, and inevitably Paul's love of The Arsenal starts to drive them apart.

Nick Hornby is a very popular British writer who's other notable works comprise High Fidelity and About A Boy. With Fever Pitch he documented about the triumphant football season that Arsenal had in 1988/1989, while simultaneously outlaying his own stress inducing personal life that ran parallel with his football passion. In the novel, which became a monster seller, Hornby was able to perfectly form just how passionate and ridiculous the hardened football supporter can be {I've been there and done that myself thank you very much}, and tho some of it is expectedly lost in translation to the screen, the core essence is all there to make it a winning adaptation.

Tho laced with truly funny sequences and English soccer in jokes, Fever Pitch is also a most tender and heartfelt piece. Parential problems are handled tidily by director David Evans, and crucially the female axis in this male dominated story is very well portrayed. Both Hornby and Evans do however owe a big debt of gratitude to its leading stars. Colin Firth {Paul}and Ruth Gemmell {Sarah}are wonderful, both understated and both providing an intimacy that at first didn't seem possible. Coming as it does in this particular season, the film encompasses the Hillsborough tragedy that left 96 football supporters tragically killed. This is expertly handled by all involved, with Firth particularly towering whilst acting from an armchair as he comes to terms with both the events on the TV screen, and his query laden girlfriend. Which leaves us with what exactly? Well it's a very British film, and it was no surprise to see it remade as an American piece in 2005. Funny and tender probably best sums up this 1997 film, obviously not as good as the book they say, but it's a mighty fine effort regardless. 7/10

Sarah Hughes is the strict new math teacher and Paul Ashworth (Colin Firth) is the likable football-loving English teacher. The two are like fire and ice. He learned his love of Arsenal football from his father and uses it to connect with the students. Hughes' ice is soon melted. In flashbacks, his history with football is shown. It all culminates with the final game against Liverpool.

It concentrates a lot on the value of football love. It's sincere in the defense of fandom. It's actually serious and it's not as comedic as I want. I must be missing most of the football humor. I'm not really understanding the jokes. The rom-com takes a backseat to the pontification of football. The couple's chemistry isn't really there. They don't mix and she's kinda stiff. They're arguing most of the time. At least, there is the magnetic Colin Firth. I'm sure this is fun but I wouldn't know. This is more of a local story that doesn't quite translate.