What a kick-off to the movie season! 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. So you can have a field goal with this. Directed and written by Robert D. Siegel, the story revolves Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt); one of the biggest fans of the New York Giants. One day, Paul and his friend, Sal (Kevin Corrigan) spotted Giant's linebacker Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm) in a public nightclub doing drugs. The character of Quantrell Bishop or nicknamed QB in the movie, is model out of real life Giants Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor, who had a very public drug history. When they chat with him; things go soured because QB mistake them for cops. The intoxicated Bishop became enraged and brutally beats Paul. Paul is hospitalized for his injuries and Bishop has been suspended. Now, Paul Aufiero has to make a choice, go on to intercept Bishop's playing career by pressing charges against him, or stay loyal to his beloved team by allowing Bishop to get off scot free. The movie seems to have something going with a similar plot to 'the Wrestler', but it falls flat because one main different. Instead, of trying to better his life, Paul's existence is so remove from the norms of society that it's unlikeable. He rejects any offer that would help him, whether it is a job or moving into his own place. This movie's lack somewhat of a transformation for its character. Nothing really happens in this movie besides showcasing how mentally incompetent and bleak, Paul is. Let's keep in mind that the word "fan" is indeed, shortened form of the word, 'fanatic'. Paul is pretty unlikeable and this will undoubtedly alienate some viewers. I couldn't decide whether to feel sorry for Paul or hate him. It's not that he's socially awkward or can't interact with society, it's that he doesn't want to. I have to say, while Patton Oswalt isn't really acting anything new, here since this role is similar to the hopeless nerd loser roles he been typecast for years now. Patton Oswalt does do a good job in this dramatic side of the role, besides doing his norm shticks. Patton Oswalt did makes a touchdown when it matters, by showing the fanatic of this character, but you can't help wanting more out of him. Adam Sandler was offered the part of Paul Aufiero at first, and I think he might had made this work, but in my opinion, I think both actors were limited in their range. In his role, you would think Patton Oswalt is a huge football fan in real life, but surprising Oswalt and his co-star Kevin Corrigan don't have a clue of any football terminology. Another person that fits their role in real life, is Michael Rapaport. He flew like an eagle in his brief scene as the supporting role, arch-enemy of Paul, Philadelphia Eagles fan, Philadelphia Phil. Like Patton Oswalt, he isn't really acting much here, besides acting like Rapaport. I found minor football mistakes in the movie, that any football fan can notice, but it's wasn't like a big deal here like other football movies. Some people might hate it, due to the negative light on football fans, but as a football fan, I didn't find it, disrespectful at all. Like any other sport, there are people that take the sport too far, and I didn't think the movie went that level. I wish, it did. It would had been more entertaining. I was hoping for something like 1996's the Fan. I found 2012's Silver Linings Playbook with Bradley Cooper in a similar story and role, told it a little bit better. It did keeps the story at a realistic level. Even when it approaches the crazy at the end, we can still believe what we are seeing. I'm surprise to see that the NFL allow the movie to even show the Giants in a fiction based negative light and other teams. Do note, while the movie revolves around the NFL, you don't see a single NFL logo on display, nor a moment of actual sports action through the film. The NFL wouldn't even allow them to film in the stadium. So there were some limited to what they were able to do in the film. While this movie didn't had the budget, Silver Lining or the Fan did, it did get me hook to the story. I would have preferred a darker story simply because that is what I went in expecting, but I was OK with the results. It felt boring at times. Most of the best blitz conflict scenes just happens to be near a toilet in an odd way. The comedy tone is all over the place, and never really working. The film falls to tie up so many of the loose ends in Paul's social and family life. The ending doesn't really solve anything. At less, it ask you, how far is Paul willing to take his obsession. It did had a good twist toward the end zone. For anybody who isn't a fan of the sport, there is a lot more to this movie, besides football. It is a character study. The movie is a upsetting and insightful commentary on the vaunted status how society afford to our media, some call "heroes," often at the expense of our own sense of self-worth. Overall: a good watch, but somewhat a fumble.
Review of Big Fan
