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Big Fan

Play trailer Poster for Big Fan R Released Aug 28, 2009 1h 28m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 89 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt), a parking-garage employee, is a huge fan of the New York Giants. He lives at home with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) and spends much of his free time extolling the virtues of his favorite football team on sports radio. One night, Paul and his best friend, Sal (Kevin Corrigan), spy Giants linebacker Quantrell Bishop in their neighborhood and follow him to a strip club. Paul decides to approach his idol, but the encounter goes very badly.
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Big Fan

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Critics Consensus

Featuring Patton Oswalt's sympathetic portrayal, Big Fan humorously and effectively captures the dark and lonely world of a sports fanatic.

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Critics Reviews

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David Fear Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Linda Barnard Toronto Star First-time director Siegel shows promise. His script is solid, and although the last act feels somewhat awkward, the idea is clever. Rated: 3/4 Nov 29, 2009 Full Review Jonathan F. Richards Film.com Writer-director Robert D. Siegel grew up listening to callers like Paul on The FAN, New York City's all-sports radio, and he gives us a bizarrely sympathetic portrait of a guy who is as devout and as obsessive as any religious fanatic. Nov 22, 2009 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Fifteen years later, Big Fan might show its age in some ways but it still holds up with a phenomenal Patton Oswalt performance. Rated: 4/5 Sep 9, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Paul’s fandom digs him into a hole, but he doesn’t learn anything from it [...] Big fans like Paul are dedicated no matter the circumstances, whether their teams are winning or not, and their resolve is scarily unshakable. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 25, 2023 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Big Fan stretches credulity in spots, but, for the most part, it manages to keep its eye on the ball. Rated: 3/4 Sep 1, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bucky R At 80 minutes, it still felt long. It's a bit more appealing for NYG/PHI fans. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/16/25 Full Review Stephen J Patton Oswalt is miscast. This is a " B" movie for sure. Too much wasted time on several scenes, like walking through a bar, you sit and watch 10 minutes of Patton walking through a bar until he finds the person he's looking for. Ugh. Okay so some good points: his mother did a good job of acting. You are left with "how can a guy in his thirties be such a loser". That is one of the things the writer and director wanted to come across, and they got that across for sure. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/29/24 Full Review Bunk M Big Fan tunes you into late night sports talk radio with Paul , from his mom's basement, as he & the ever chill Sal navigate NY Giants game week. Fan-Delirium ensues. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/22/23 Full Review Audience Member A bit violent but an interesting story about professional sports fans who take their enthusiasm a bit too far. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review dave s If you go into Big Fan expecting a Patton Oswald comedy, you will be deeply disappointed. Big Fan is a dark, brooding, and pensive character study of a man fanatically obsessed with the New York Giants, to the point where it impacts on all aspects of his life and those around him. If there is any humor, it is dark to the point where it is hard to see. The broader theme is clearly the danger of any kind of fanaticism, regardless of whether it is sports, religion, politics, etc and the negative impact it can have on society. Directed by Robert Siegel with great confidence, close-ups are used effectively and the periodically jarring editing helps give the viewer a sense of the protagonist's mental decline. This is a small but powerful film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review bryan b If you ever wondered who calls in to sports radio shows Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Robert D. Siegel

Director

Patton Oswalt

Paul Aufiero

Kevin Corrigan

Sal

Marcia Jean Kurtz

Theresa Aufiero

Michael Rapaport

Philadelphia Phil

Matt Servitto

Detl Velardi

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Big Fan

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Movie Info

Synopsis Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt), a parking-garage employee, is a huge fan of the New York Giants. He lives at home with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) and spends much of his free time extolling the virtues of his favorite football team on sports radio. One night, Paul and his best friend, Sal (Kevin Corrigan), spy Giants linebacker Quantrell Bishop in their neighborhood and follow him to a strip club. Paul decides to approach his idol, but the encounter goes very badly.
Director
Robert D. Siegel
Producer
Jean Kouremetis, Elan Bogarin
Screenwriter
Robert D. Siegel
Distributor
First Independent Pictures
Production Co
First Independent Pictures, Big Fan Productions, Economy Pictures
Rating
R (Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 28, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$234.4K
Runtime
1h 28m
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