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Sundance 2009: Colin SL on BIG FAN starring Patton Oswalt
SPOILER ALERT !!
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
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That'd be funny.
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Lord knows the Pack needs all the love they can get right now.
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...considering the debacle this previous year with losing the NFC Championship game, Favre retiring, Favre returning, Favre leaving, and then the team finishing with a losing record.
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You know what the Pack needs? Some veterans. Solid veterans who can provide leadership. A new Reggie White era if you will.
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I'll stop. Go Steelers.
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I love me some Patton, but would I rather see an obsessive sports fan played by him, or Robert DeNiro? Actually either is better than Jimmy Fucking Fallon. That man is proof that the devil does make deals.
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Fuck fuck pussy popculture popculture pussy pussy fuck popculture pussy fuck popculture popculture pussy pussy pussy fuck fuck fuck won't tell you if I even watched that movie pussy pussy popculture fuck.
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I Like The Premise
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As someone who doesn't live in the USA, I keep hearing his name pop up on this site (and realise that he's a comedian) and was wondering how he's so well known? Would I recognise him if I saw him?I guess I should check Wikipedia really, rather than relying on Talkbackers, but I'm far too lazy.
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What's the appeal of Patton Oswalt? I've never quite worked that out.
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He starred in a Pixar effort which everyone raved about, and I turned off after fifteen minutes because I was bored out of my fricking mind.
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Was he the main human in that?I'm going to Wikipedia now.
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And he does stand up comedy that is about geek stuff, which is why he gets so much love at AICN. He was also the voice of Professor Dementor in 'Kim Possible'.
This sounds like I hate him, but I don't. He is a little bit overrated (I just hate geek humor. "Oh look, he talks about Star Wars! Funniest man ever!"), but a very likable actor with a good comedy timing and very good voice acting skills. -
He was in that one about the Rat whose a food lover.
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Patton is a great guy. I don't know him, but he sent me an autographed photo for a charity event auction I was helping with. He is a real person with a big heart and a sharp sense of humor. I'll support just about any project he gets involved with.
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And I do know him. Patton is truly one of the nice guys, and it's SO great that he is doing so well.
Go get 'em Patton!!! -
Jan 19, 2009 7:37:22 AM CST
Harry, Dallas would be good if they weren't the only all female
by dr sauch
Good luck with Tony Homo and TO
GO BIG BLUE! -
I think its too close to call.
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Drturing...you'd rather watch The Fan? Seriously? That movie was garbage....Great cast but good god...it was total bullshit. The climax takes place IN THE RAIN! THEY DON'T PLAY BASEBALL IN THE RAIN. Horrid film with overblown sequences and clearly penned by some wahoo who doesn't actually play sports.
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The only thing I remember was the scene where DeNiro kills a player (I think it was Benicio del Toro) and they played a song during the scene where the singer suddenly yelled "I WANNA FUCK YOU!"
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"Fever Punt"? or is it more like "Celtic Pride"? Either way, you can count me right the fuck out. Watching the pathetic lives of sports fans is actually not entertaining. Unless you were in Boston last year when the Patriots lost the Superbowl. Watching all the sorry sadsack motherfuckers pouting their way through the snow was fucking hilarious.
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Old plot,Celtic Pride.
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Well watchable.
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Much better there than King of Queens. His Renaissance fair guy was awesome.
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Back when he was a real actor. Like a Black Dennis Hopper.
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I Bet this is AWESOME. He also happens to be a founder of the ONION. So again, I bet this is AWESOME.
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I've never understood it. Sports fans are worse than Trekkers. They keep track of more stats and minutia than most Star Trek fans do, and take it far more seriously. (with the exception of people who speak Klingon.. but hey.. at least they never destroyed a city when they were CELEBRATING.. shit..)
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dr Sauch- Fuck off until you come up with something original. Hope you feel big for saying "Tony Homo" and "cowgirls" because you're just like every other hater who thinks your are THE most clever person on earth.
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need to wake up. He's one of the funniest stand up comics working today (I saw the comedians of comedy twice live) as well as having a huge career ahead of him (that is already pretty big to begin with).
LAZY! ALL OF YOU'S -
was the best live comedy show i've ever seen. i implore anyone who hasn't seen it to check out the dvd. oswalt, posehn, bamford, galifinakis. you can't fucking beat that lineup. as an added plus for all the fanboys, brian posehn has the single greatest analogy ever given for the recent star wars prequels.
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fuck the cowboys. sorry, i just had to add that. ny giants superbowl champs in 2010! ...as long as we figure out what to do with dumb motherfuckers who shoot themselves in the leg in a club because it slipped out of the elastic in their sweatpants. seriously, who are these dumb fuckers that bring loaded weapons inside a packed club? and come to think of it, who the fuck even wears sweatpants to a club?! go big blue!
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I said hi to him a couple years back at a particularly funny show in SF. It was a highlight of an otherwise poor trip out there for holiday in-law madness. He was very friendly and approachable. I am very interested in seeing him play a quasi-dramatic role. His stand-up comedy is some of my favorite out there now, and his blogs are true genius.
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suck it ginats!
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He was talking to this guy I know, and the guy was talking about how he'd been too busy to read up on some comic books he love, so Patton sent him a bunch of comic books like out of nowhere.
Also, he was in Magnolia, and Ratatouille, which means he's nearly cinematically immortal. And his routine about Outback Steakhouse is the funniest shit ever. He's an underappreciated standup
Then again, he was in Blade 3. -
18-1
Fuck you. -
this has been a year of growth..Next year... :sigh:: next year..
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A little surprising.
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He's inconsistent, but when he's on he's great. I missed his stand up at my university and I'm mad at myself about it.
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Is it a comedy, or a drama with elements of humor? Ratatouille's big problems were that the film took itself too seriously, and Lou Romano was lousy as the human lead. It's fun, charming, but I was hoping Patton would make Remy a funnier character. He didn't (was very restrained compared to his stand-up), and the Linguini character didn't pick up the slack. DO watch it, however, for Peter O'Toole. Steals the show, simply with his voice.
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I'm really looking forward to this. I think it's funny that obsessive film geeks don't understand obsessive sports fans and vice versa. Being a fanatic sports fan is no different than being a film geek or a music nut - I am all of those things. (I do hate fantasy sports though). It's all entertainment and better than obsessing about the bills I have to pay, etc. As long you don't go too far, it's all good.
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Was it Posehn's Star Wars routine, or actually Patton's? "Hey! Think Angelina Jolie is hot? Well here's John Voight's wrinkly ball-sac!" FUCKING AWESOME.
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Sport Players and Sports Fans taking it too far.
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kind of a political bully though
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you typed a d when you meant an f. fucking hating on rataotouille, i bet you also hate blowjobs, caramel bread pudding, and sleeping in.
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but david cross on the other hand is one smug fuckaroo
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Just giving you a heads up
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But seriously, fuck the Dallas Cowboys, the choke artists. They're seriously pathetic.
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Not OFF for fuck's sake
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You have never listened to any of his stand up albums. If you have heard Feeling Kind of Patton or Werewolves and Lolipops you will realize he is more than just a "hillarious nerd" who mentions Star Wars. He is like David Cross only he is not a total asshole. I like David Cross, but he is an asshole a very funny asshole. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
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DerLanghaarige, you wrong. Don't be such a dick.
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I grew up in the same area that Cross did. Yes, the south. But when I heard his stand up, he made it sound like he grew up 2 miles from a Klan office. It was so lame to hear him bad mouth his home town, making it sound like everyone (but him, of course) were ignorant rednecks that didn't know how to interact with Jewish or Black people. His home town is well blended with a variety of economic/racial/etc demographics. He's that guy that got picked on because he was both a geek and a tool/asshole.
...man, and he sure isn't able to give the giggles. Waayyyy to bitter for such a young guy. I wish I could kick him in the nuts. -
He does voice work, stand-up, sitcoms, BS adult swim stuff (Tim & Eric), and now he's in the lead. Yeah, he can be a bit too political for some, but his stand-up isn't nearly as bitter as Cross...and his non-political, non-geek comedic bits are funny as hell.
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