Review of Big Fan

For many Americans today is one of the most important days of the year. You guessed it, The Super Bowl. So although I am not a fan of any NFL team and have yet to watch a game this year, I feel obligated to watch tonight's game. Why? Because the Superbowl is so much more than just two teams playing football. The Superbowl is in many ways a celebration of the American way of life. It is a day where people can forget about their personal troubles and spend their time with friends, eating pizza, drinking beer, and watching football. For most Americans they will be cheering for one team or the other, despite their favorite team being knocked out during the regular season or the playoffs. Yet for those lucky fans of the Saints or the Colts, they truly care about who wins and who loses. In some rare cases the level of team pride that fans have may match that of Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) from Robert D. Siegel's Big Fan (2009).

Big Fan follows a character who literally lives for New York Giants football. Although Paul doesn't have the money to go to the games, he makes the effort to head to the stadium to cheer for the Giants. Despite being a 36 year old parking garage teller who lives with his mother, he makes it clear to his family that he is satisfied with his life. One day while at a gas station, Paul sees the Giants starting quarterback and decides to follow him all the way across New York in order to express how big of a fan he truly is. However, when he finally meets the star player and tells him how he traveled hours just to say hello, the quarterback becomes enraged and hospitalizes Paul for a week. As a result the quarterback ends up being charged with aggravated assault and is suspended by the National Football League. This leaves Paul with a tough decision, sue the quarterback so that he can make millions of dollars and start a new life or let it go so the star player can continue to help the Giants get to the Superbowl.

Most sports movies focus on the success of a particular team or player, so the idea that sports are not simply about the players themselves but about the fans and the city the team represents is an original and refreshing concept. Yet while watching Big Fan I couldn't decide whether to feel sorry for Paul or laugh at him. Although Paul seems satisfied with his life, you have to wonder whether it is because he actually likes being a fan or because he has never been able to experience anything better. The scenes showing the conflict between Paul and his mother are easily the funniest in the film. She can't understand how Paul is content with living the way he does and he can't understand how she just can't seem to let it go.

What makes this film superior to most other comedies is the great cast of characters. It is as if every actor and actress was born to play the character they portray. This is especially true for Oswalt, who plays the lead better than anyone that comes to mind. So although this film only contains a few laugh out loud moments (mainly between Paul and his mother), the relationships between the different characters kept me interested and entertained for 90 minutes. If you have Instant Netflix, add Big Fan to your queue because it is well worth your time.

RATING: 3.1/5

YOUTUBE TRAILER