A to Z Challenge 2020 - F

Fever Pitch (2005)
Director; Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Starring: Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore
Brief Thoughts: As a die hard fan of the Red Sox, it was always going to be impossible for me not to ignore Fever Pitch. The previous year they had just ended an infamous 86 year drought and won the World Series. Fever Pitch is one of two works that were fortuitously already in progress when it happened, the other a book (Faithful) Stephen King was coauthoring to chronicle the season, which ended up producing far different endings than originally conceived. To hear the filmmakers tell it, Fever Pitch didn’t have the Hollywood ending until baseball delivered it. And what an ending! I like to imagine I would care about the movie otherwise. I mean, it still revolves around the Sox. But, y’know...

Flight (2012)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, James Badge Dale
Brief Thoughts: Denzel Washington is without a doubt one of the finest actors working today. Although of course these days, like Liam Neeson or Tom Cruise, you’re more apt to find him in an action movie than a drama, where he really thrives. Flight is one of his most recent dramas, and of course he’s brilliant in it. So’s Don Cheadle, right before he was sucked into the Avengers machine seemingly permanently. But Flight, for me, is always going to be the breakout film of James Badge Dale. It’s a minuscule role, in which he’s credited only as “Gaunt Young Man.” Washington and Kelly Reilly are bonding at the hospital when they step into a stairwell for a smoke (they’re exactly that kind of characters), when Dale comes shuffling up, and ends up completely dominating the scene. I never understood why it was so hard for Hollywood to find him roles like that, where his innate charisma could shine through. It may be that he does best in showy supporting roles (which to be clear, is not hammy or overacting), but then, he doesn’t really get those, either. He seems to have settled into sober authority figures, which I suppose works. For now.

Free State of Jones (2016)
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Mahershala Ali, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell
Brief Thoughts: One of the things that baffles me about the modern era is that we seem intent to shake loose from mythical figures in general. We’ve had a trend to find the core truths of their lives, if they were real people, but having achieved that we discard both the myth and the real person with it. And we lose our pasts in the process. The funny thing is, even real people who didn’t particularly have myths attached to them are easily ignored in the process. Such is the case with Newton Knight, who wages war with the Confederacy in his home state of Mississippi. It’s another perfect role for Matthew McConaughey (although of course equally ignored). Free State of Jones was also the breakthrough film for Mahershala Ali, who went in to greater prominence in Moonlight and Green Book, both of which won Best Picture at the Oscars.

Funny People (2009)
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Adam Sandler, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, Seth Rogan, Eric Bana
Brief Thoughts: Adam Sandler has perhaps one of the strangest careers ever in Hollywood. When he finally became an unqualified success, he epitomized the gross out humor that had come to dominate the late ‘90s. Then, as with most comedic actors, he also wanted to do drama. Funny People is one of those. It’s also the culmination of the celebration of Warren Zevon’s life and legacy that happened just as he was dying, which is also when I finally discovered him. It’s also a rare, and very welcome, comedic spotlight for Eric Bana.