Big Fan

R

Released Aug 28, 2009

1h 28m

Comedy

Drama

List

86%

Tomatometer

90 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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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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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

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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

kevin c

Patton Oswalt stars as an obsessive fan of the New York Giants who lives with his mother and works in a parking garage attendant, spending his nights calling radio sports talk shows, who's life changes dramatically when he meets his idol and things don't go as planned. Oswalt, known for his comedy, is very underrated as a dramatic actor as he does a very believable job enveloping this character.  Really great performance and a well written film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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

Audience Member

This film was almost good.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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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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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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