Sometimes, I wonder what the dumbarses in Hollywood are thinking. Fever Pitch, the Drew Berrymore movie is based on the Nick Hornby movie of the same name.
Movie:
When Lindsay Meeks (Drew Barrymore) meets Ben Rightman (Jimmy Fallon) they fall for each other at the first sight. They are in love. Until Lindsay sees baseball season starts up and Ben has a new love… The Boston Red Sox. Now Lindsay must make this come to a halt to win Ben back through his Red Sox obsession.
Book:
Fever Pitch reveals the very special intricacies of British football, which readers new to the game will find astonishing, and which Hornby presents with remarkable humor and honesty—the “unique” chants sung at matches, the cold rain-soaked terraces, giant cans of warm beer, the trains known as football specials carrying fans to and from matches in prisonlike conditions, bottles smashing on the tracks, thousands of policemen waiting in anticipation for the cargo of hooligans. The sport and one team in particular have crept into every aspect of Hornby’s life—making him see the world through Arsenal-tinted spectacles
Huhhuh. It’s so similar, it’s uncanny. The book wasn’t a big success in North America and to my knowledge they don’t use the Nick Hornby name to promote the film. If you are scripting a story completely different from the book, why bother?? Are they so stuck in adapting and re-doing stuff that they need to go through that kind of trick to get a green light??
2 Comments
I’ve actually seen Nick Hornby’s name everywhere I’ve seen a mention of the movie.
I agree it’s silly and confusing though. Fever Pitch is the one Hornby book I wasn’t interested in reading because of the whole football thing. The first time I saw a preview for Fever Pitch and heard Hornby’s name, I thought he had written a new novel. I guess they are simply banking on his popularity and hit-making skills.
And the thing is, there already is a film version of Fever Pitch which retained the football aspect. Why do we need a second, stupider version?