Unlike "The Wrestler," which Siegel scripted, Big Fan has a way of making a socially marginal figure seem oddly charismatic without stacking the sympathy deck.
A spasmodically funny and bleak film about the love that speaks its name.
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Comedian Patton Oswalt triumphantly nails every comic and dramatic nuance as Paul Aufiero, a New York Giants obsessive who has long ago moved from fan to fanatic.
75
Premiere
Premiere
There are some very funny parts but this isn’t a typical sports comedy.
Siegel, in his debut as director, shot the low-budget Big Fan on a digital camera and achieves an appropriately grimy, gritty look. He has an eye for the telling detail and for the comedy in tragedy.
70
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
It's an unsettling, "Taxi Driver"-like character study that shows the underside to hero worship and the primal world of professional football.
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
VarietyTodd McCarthy
It's a small, peculiar film, one unlikely to appeal much to women, non-sports fans and mainstreamers, but its uncomfortable comic insights should win it a loyal following.
60
Film Threat
Film Threat
Comes across as a little uneven, but far from unsatisfactory. Patton Oswalt is sympathetic (at times heart breaking) and makes the film completely worth watching.
50
Village Voice
Village Voice
It takes considerable effort to make Darren Aronofsky seem like a model of restraint, but Robert Siegel pulls it off in Big Fan.