The Perfect Catch - discussion guide

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Summary

Based on Nick Hornby's acclaimed novel Fever Pitch, The Perfect Catch is the story of a boy, a girl and a baseball team. Ben Wrightman (Jimmy Fallon) is a high school maths teacher and a lifelong Red Sox baseball fan. Lindsey Meeks is a driven workaholic businesswoman whose ruthless work ethic leaves her with no time for relationships. One day, the mismatched pair meet and begin to date. By the time baseball season starts, Ben and Lindsey have fallen in love. But Lindsey isn't prepared for how deep Ben's love for his beloved Red Sox is and finds herself in a love triangle with an entire baseball team.

Background

The Perfect Catch is adapted from Nick Hornby's semi-autobiographical 1992 novel Fever Pitch. Hornby is a successful and popular British author who often uses his own life experiences in his work. A couple of his other books, High Fidelity and About a Boy, have also been adapted into successful films. Fever Pitch was previously made into a British film in 1997 starring Colin Firth. The most significant change in The Perfect Catch from the book is that the sport is changed from football to baseball. Screenwriter Lowell Ganz is the long time writing partner of Babaloo Mandel and their previous writing credits include acclaimed films Splash (1984), City Slickers (1991) and Robots (2005). He also wrote for the popular TV series Happy Days and created its two spin-off shows, Laverne and Shirley and Joanie Loves Chachi.

Directors the Farrelly Brothers are most famous for directing a string of popular 'gross-out' comedy films including Dumb and Dumber (1994), There's Something About Mary (1998), Me Myself and Irene (2000) and Stuck on You (2003). They are both Boston Red Sox fans and were forced to rewrite the ending of the film when the Red Sox improbably began winning games. The end scene featuring the Sox winning the World Series and Ben and Lindsey celebrating on the pitch with the players was filmed moments after the Red Sox real historic victory.

For more information on The Perfect Catch, see the official site: www.feverpitchmovie.com

Questions for discussion

1. Have you read Nick Hornby's book? Which do you prefer, the book or the film? Have you seen the 1997 film version? What are the differences between the two films? Which film do you prefer? Why?

2. What are your first impressions of Lindsey and Ben? What are their similarities? How are they different?

3. How realistic is Ben's obsession with Boston Red Sox? Do you have any friends who are similarly obsessed with supporting a sports team? To what extent is the film about baseball and Ben's obsession with the Red Sox?

4. How is Ben's Red Sox's obsession portrayed in the film? Why do you think he spends so much time and effort on it? How does following the Red Sox fulfil him?

5. Why do you think title cards are shown before many of the film's scenes? What effect is achieved by using them?

6. How does Ben and Lindsey's relationship affect them both? In what ways is the impact on each of them positive and negative?

7. How does the news of a probable pregnancy affect both Ben and Lindsey? How does it change their perspectives on their lives?

8. 'I like being part of something that's bigger than me, than I. It's good for your soul to invest in something you can't control.' (Ben Wrightman)

Do you think this is true? Why? How can this related to having a relationship with God? Is this a good enough reason for believing in God?

9. What does The Perfect Catch say about priorities in life? How do Ben and Lindsey's initial priorities compare with the biblical perspective on what we should prioritise in life?

10. How have Ben and Lindsey's priorities changed by the end of the film? Why?

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