Hey folks, Harry here... I'm so glad I can't relate to obsessive compulsive fans that spend their entire lives dedicated to talking about every little minute detail of their obsession with sports! What lamers. Real men obsess on Movies. Even movies obsessed with movie geeks playing sports geeks that obsess over the silliest fucking thing I've ever heard of... The fucking NEW YORK GIANTS? Fuck that! Dallas Cowboys at the least. Or maybe the Green Bay Packers, but the fucking NEW YORK GIANTS? Fuck Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor. That fucking team and fucking Bill Parcels? FUCK THEM! Anyway. This movie played at Sundance and stars that rat boy Patton Oswalt as a human rat eating the blue cheese of football teams. Here ya go... Watch out for spoilers...
Hey, Harry, Colin SL here, I just got back from the premiere of Robert D. Siegel's film "Big Fan" at Sundance. A lot of people were keen on seeing this film based off the near-unanimous praise of The Wrestler, wondering if Siegel could direct or if he could even write another film that could be comparable to The Wrestler. While the film itself is more comedic and takes its drama lightly, it still handles all aspects exceptionally. Patton Oswalt is absolutely charming in his first live action lead. We are introduced to Paul Aufiero (Oswalt) and his buddy, Sal (Kevin Corrigan), two die-hard Giants fans that are so dedicated and obsessed with their team (albeit poor) that they actually sit outside Giants stadium and hook a TV up to their car to watch the game. Paul lives for the scoreboard, the stats, his favorite player Quantrell Bishop and regularly calling up the local sports radio show to stick it to his regular caller nemesis, Philadelphia Phil. Paul and Sal are cruising around one night when by chance they encounter none other than Quantrell Bishop. They follow his Escalade to a strip bar and attempt to strike up a conversation with him when things take a wrong turn and Bishop beats the living shit out of Paul. The film explores where obsession can leave people and how they can react to where it leaves them. It also shows how bleak and depressing how certain obsessions can take over one's life and even severely impair judgment. Sports fandom is a subject not really touched upon in many movies and this one hits the nail on the head. Hearing about some of the reports of what sports fans have done to one another or their city around them, it isn't hard to believe that there must be bunches of Paul Aufieros out there. Patton Oswalt really shines as both a comedic and a dramatic actor; he really impresses in a serious scene involving an intense argument between Paul and his mother about the status of his life. The film is always intriguing, if in a couple instances feeling a tiny bit long winded, but ultimately builds up to a climax that is at genius levels reminiscent of There Will Be Blood, causing the entire audience to roar with cheers and laughter. -Colin
