Big Fan

Big Fan

What happens when you finally meet your biggest sports idol, but things don’t go the way you imagined? This is the basis of Big Fan.

Patton Oswalt brings it in every scene he’s in. I found his character to be a fine balance between amusing and pathetic. I didn’t think Oswalt would go there, but he did effortlessly. I can’t say enough on how good he really is in the role of this passive man.

The movie is really an up-close look in Paul Aufiero (Oswalt) life. He is living a terrible life at home and working in a shitty job as parking booth guard. Because his life is in the dumps, the only thing that brings him pure joy is being a New York Giants fan. He prepares long-winded speeches for sports talk stations and argues with rival fans. Even though he can’t buy tickets, he sits in the stadium parking lot listening to the game.

When a chance encounter with a famous NY Giants player (Quantrell Bishop) happens into his lap, Oswalt has an intense incident with the football player. Things start to go down hill for the hardcore fan after the incident.

The first half of the movie is dark, but there is playfulness the world of Oswalt. After the incident, that all changes and his world becomes extremely dark. This is Oswalt at his best. I can’t believe how well he handles the darker scenes.

The only problem I have with the movie is the ending is a bit abrupt and a little cheap. The movie builds upon the descent of the character, but the payoff is a bit of a letdown. There are also times when the smaller budget does seem to hurt the film.

Overall, the Big Fan is a dark look at hardcore fans and a great display of Patton Oswalt’s acting chops.

Grade: B-

Superman: “Funny, I’ve never seen garbage eat garbage before.”

Patton: “Great, even Superman is ragging on me!”