Big Fan

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Big Fan

R

Released Aug 28, 2009

1h 28m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

90 Reviews

62%

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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

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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

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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

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Cory Woodroof

For the Win (USA Today)

A football spin on Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, Big Fan drives home the dangerous mental elasticity of obsessing over something you have nothing to do with.

Oct 26, 2024

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

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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

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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

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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

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bryan b

If you ever wondered who calls in to sports radio shows

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

This film was almost good.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Audience Member

As someone who worked in sports talk radio, he really nails it. It has some heart to it, more than I thought it would.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/19/18

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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