Movie Review: "Fever Pitch".

It's a rare romantic comedy that appeals equally to the genders.

"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (2003) comes readily to mind. In fact, "How To..." sets the standard for that genre.

"Fever Pitch" aspires to the same neighborhood, but ultimately gets left outside the gate.

The good: the movie contains enough sports scenes to intrigue the most fanatical sports fans, and elegantly reminds us of the incredible drive of the Red Sox to championship glory last year. "Fever" also showcases witty dialog that is pretty memorable. Here's one example: "Investing in something beyond one's control is good for the soul."

The bad: the "chemistry" of Fallon and Barrymore is more synthetic than organic. Their friends have the depth of cardboard and add little.

Kudos to Jimmy Fallon for the comeback of the year; however, just about anything he threw up on the screen would be considered a valiant comeback after the "Taxi" (2004) disgrace.

If you are not a fan of the Farrelly Brothers' fare, don't be scared off by their direction. The movie for the most part eschews the gross-out material of their earlier projects. In fact, they seem to be moving away from their beginning with more sentimental offerings, such as "Shallow Hal" and "Fever."

So men, if it's your turn to capitulate and go to a movie your date picks, you could do much worse than "Fever."

"Fever Pitch" receives a "B."