Big Fan

Its been two weeks since my last post, but I've been meaning to write a review of Big Fan since I watched it a week and a half ago. In my review of Moon, I said that if I'd seen it before I had made my "best of" list, it would have made it on; that goes for Big Fan as well.
Let me start by saying that I love Patton Oswalt's standup comedy. His comedic take on many of the absurdities of pop culture is why he is so amazing. Patton is an extremely intelligent writer and in interviews, he has proven himself to be one of the quickest and sharpest guys in show business. Paul Aufiero, the character that Oswalt plays in Big Fan is his opposite in almost every way. Aufiero is a meat-headed New York Giants fan who lives with his mom in Staten Island and works as a parking garage attendant. Paul is a regular caller to a local sports radio show. His nemesis is fellow caller "Philadelphia Phil", whom Paul debates on-air with his pre-written ramblings about how the the Giants are a much better football team that the Eagles.
The plot of the film revolves around how Paul deals with the after effects of being brutally beaten by his favorite football player, Giants quarterback, Quantrell Bishop. Writer/Director Robert D. Siegel, who also wrote Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, crafts a another wonderful character study, but this time about a man who is so completely obsessed with the sport of football to a point where he doesn't care about anything else. Paul's only friend is the equally dim Sal, (Kevin Corrigan from The Departed and Pineapple Express), who wishes that he had the courage to call in to radio shows like Paul.
I feel that Big Fan is a movie for those who are or who know someone whose life revolves around being a "fan" of something. It is one thing to be heavily involved with something creative, but another thing entirely to be so caught up in a world that you don't actually have any stake in. I am not a football fan (or sports in general), but I do know what its like to have an intense interest in a specific medium. For me, it is film, music, and history. Luckily, I have never given my life over to anything in such a way that I could care less about family, friends, a career, etc. Paul Aufiero is a loser of the most extreme kind. You can enjoy this movie because you pity him and know that you're better than him and people like him. I don't think anyone who is similar to Paul could enjoy this film, but they probably wouldn't watch it anyway.

*Big Fan is currently available on DVD. Be sure to check out the special features, especially if you're a fan of Patton.