Summer Catch (2001)

reviewed by
Frankie Paiva

SUMMER CATCH     * *

2001 – USA
Director: Michael Tollin
Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Jessica Biel, Fred Ward, Bruce Davison, Matthew
Lillard, Marc Blucas

Reviewed by Frankie Paiva

One thing's for sure, `Summer Catch' sucks. It takes the cake as the worst Freddie Prinze Jr. movie, remarkably taking the title from the horrendous `Down to You'. But the fun you'll have mocking this movie, if you decide to spend ill-fated money on it, is almost worth a matinee. Everyone is pretty much at fault for the failure of this film, but the script in particular is just shockingly awful.

Ryan (Prinze Jr.) is a pitcher for the Cape Cod team of a prestigious New England baseball league. Ryan is a hopeful local boy, and is under pressure to impress the big league scouts at the games. His family is less than supportive of him, he makes some rather interesting friends, and he has quite the short temper.

But it wouldn't be a Freddie Prinze Jr. movie without a love interest. So in comes Tenley Parrish (Jessica Biel), the daughter of a very rich family in town for the summer. Ryan mows their grass, and the two are instantly attracted to one another when they meet. Her father (Bruce Davison), disapproves of Ryan. Together, they may just make it through the summer, and prove everyone wrong.

That's got to sound just a tad familiar to someone. It's amazing that this film was ever greenlit at all. Prize's star wattage was what probably closed the deal. I still cling to the hope that someday Freddie will start taking projects like `The House of Yes' again, but with the role of Fred in 2002's `Scooby-Doo' coming up, it doesn't seem likely. Why Prinze doesn't mind being typecast continually in these teen romantic comedies, no one knows.

`Summer Catch' has a problem with not being very interesting. The script focuses too much on the romance element, and overlooks the character development and exciting baseball opportunities of the script. Some of the characters, like Ryan's dad (Fred Ward), and a rival pitcher, are just so blatantly and stereotypically evil you can't help but laugh. The baseball scenes are sleep inducing, and don't even have the schmaltzy quality of an underdog Disney sports movie.

Prinze works with what he's given, but Biel is dreadful as a lead. She, however, is also given the worst dialogue of the film. Still, her character changes personalities about five times just to make the audience laugh. When she utters the line, `Let's be together!' near the end of the film, I was in tears of laughter.

And so was the rest of the audience. At about the halfway point, where it was most obvious things weren't getting any better, the laughter started. By the climax, most of the packed house was about to lose it. It's so easy to snicker at the film, that it becomes a sort of grand event. An interactive movie going experience like no other. Releasing this movie must embarrass Warner Bros.

Although I would never recommend paying money for this film, if you sneak in for a double feature after seeing another movie, or have someone else pay for your ticket, you'll be delighted by the sheer stupidity and utter lack of quality that is `Summer Catch'. It's a summer movie that should disappear faster than a well-thrown fastball.

Summer Catch (2001)

reviewed byFrankie Paiva

reviewed by
Frankie Paiva