Synopsis

High school math teacher Ben Wrightman is devoted to the Boston Red Sox, a passion that consumes every baseball season. When he begins dating ambitious business consultant Lindsey Meeks, their relationship flourishes during the winter but comes under strain once baseball returns. As Ben struggles to balance romance with lifelong fandom, the Red Sox's remarkable 2004 season forces him to reconsider what truly matters.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is a remake of the 1997 British movie Fever Pitch, itself based on Nick Hornby's autobiographical book about his devotion to Arsenal soccer. The American version changes the sport to baseball and relocates the story from London to Boston.

• The filmmakers originally expected the Red Sox to lose in the playoffs. Boston's real 2004 postseason comeback, including the team's unprecedented recovery from a three-games-to-none deficit against the New York Yankees, forced the ending to be rewritten.

• Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon traveled to St. Louis during production to attend the actual 2004 World Series Game 4 in character. Their celebration after Boston's victory was captured by television cameras and incorporated into the movie.

• Several scenes were filmed during real Red Sox games at Fenway Park. One sequence used footage from a September 16, 2004 game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with many spectators remaining afterward to appear as extras.

• The opening-day material was filmed at Fenway Park on September 4, 2004, when author Stephen King threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

• Jessamy Finet, who plays Theresa, had appeared in the Red Sox documentary Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie. Her genuine fandom helped her secure the role.

• The movie was released internationally under the title The Perfect Catch, avoiding confusion with the earlier British film, which had the same title.

• The film's real sports footage gives it an unusual place among sports romances: much of the baseball atmosphere comes from an actual championship season rather than staged recreation.