Hilariously bad, '80s-era "comedy"(?) and the last feature from acclaimed director Brooks, Fever Pitch is one of those artifacts of the Reagan era that must be seen to be believed.
Did you know that gambling is happening in some of our nation's cities...including Las Vegas?! Apparently hard-hitting sports reporter Steve Taggart (played over-earnestly by Ryan O'Neal) just got the news and he's going to blow the cover off this billion dollar industry and put the system on trial. That is, if he can outrun the dangerous bookies he's in debt to all the while nursing a serious case of compulsive gambling addiction.
Asinine dialog, ham-fisted characterizations and a tone-deaf approach to the entire proceedings make Fever Pitch a must-see for connoisseurs of bad movies. Is it a drama? Is it a comedy? Frankly FP has elements of both along with "stylized" (read: bad) editing that essentially creates faded out jump cuts in every scene. A mishandled subplot involving Taggart's daughter and the most ridiculous car wreck flashback in cinema history all combine to create a jaw-dropping movie experience that heaps absurdities on top of absurdities until the laughable, out-of-nowhere ending.
Roger Ebert called it a "sick" film. And it totally is! Recommended if you can find it.
