Film Review - Big Fan
The Sad Obsession Of a Sporting Life, From the Outside Looking In
A former editor-in-chief at The Onion (the gutsy fake news outlet), Siegel burst into the film scene as the screenwriter behind last year's Mickey Rourke comeback, The Wrestler. His second outing -- his first as a director -- Big Fan, isn't quite the stark, bare bones affair that the Darren Arronofsky-helmed Wrestler was.
But it feels as honest as those aforementioned sports tales (many courtesy of the Mouse House) come off as terribly manipulative. It's a story told from the other side of the ring, or in this case, football stadium, with a dark sense of humor intact.
God's Lonely Giants Fan
Paul Aufiero -- given a full-blooded treatment from comedian Patton Oswalt -- is a New York Giants uber-fan. Their success is just about the only thing Paul has going for him. That and the gratification of calling in to a local sports talk radio show and trading verbal blows with Philadelphia Phil (Michael Rapaport).
Despite having a lousy job (parking attendant at a Staten Island hospital) and still living at home with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) at age 36, Paul seems fairly content as long as the Giants keep winning. He and his "playmate", as his mother dubs him, Sal (Kevin Corrigan), go the home game tailgates and watch the game on TV out in the parking lot, cheering along with the roars coming out of Giants Stadium.
An Unhealthy Dose of Hero Worship
Atop Paul's Giants altar -- and pictured in a poster above his bed -- is the team's defensive star, Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm). There's an almost sexual connection between the idol and his worshiper. Bishop's visage can be seen as Paul caps off a post-talk radio call-in by masturbating under his NFL sheets.
The extent of Paul's affection/zeal manifests itself in glossy daydreams of Bishop and unquestioning loyalty (in one particular instance, the camera shifts its focus from a small, dog trinket to Oswalt's droopy-faced Paul). Siegel's approach to Paul and the whole mania of sports obsession couldn't exactly be called objective -- he appears to recognize both the pitiful allegiance Paul has and the satisfaction of affiliation to something he deems important, even as things spin wildly out of control.
By chance, Paul and Sal spot Bishop and his entourage at a gas station in Staten Island. They follow them all the way to a Manhattan club -- one thing leads to another, and after approaching Bishop, Paul receives a life-threatening beat down from his shining star.
Threading The Needle With A Sense of Humor
Big Fan constantly threatens to lapse into self-seriousness, but Siegel's sense of humor keeps it grounded all the way through. He lets the audience absorb the sad state of Paul's life in little moments, not by beating everyone over the head. Because let's face it, the guy's situation is inherently depressing, no matter how OK he claims to be with it.
Siegel has a fine eye for minutiae, which makes it from the page into his mise-en-scene. In a montage of Paul's existence post-incident, he walks right by a storefront with the large sign, "Male Ego", stating exactly what is at stake for Paul. His brother Jeff (Gino Cafarelli), a personal injury lawyer, and the rest of his family urges Paul to sue, but Paul won't even go as far to tell his full story to the police.
He knows without Bishop, the Giants are cooked -- his indefinite suspension immediately cripples the team and threatens the one bit of joy and stability in Paul's life.
There's a lot of complexity to the emotions stirring up in Paul, and Oswalt displays incredible range in nailing both the comedy and tragedy of the situation, sometimes all at once. Although he's 40-years-old, Oswalt resembles something of an overgrown kid, which couldn't be appropriate considering the subject
A Companion Piece To The Wrestler
The rest of the cast, many of them first-timers, make up a wholly conceivable picture of the Staten Island Italian microcosm, giving Siegel another opportunity to display his knack for writing blue collar North Jersey/ New York leads.
The overlap with The Wrestler makes Big Fan a natural companion piece. Both films have their structural flaws and Big Fan gets away with a few plot holes, mostly because everything else in the film is so far beyond reproach. The performances may not be as tour-de-force as those in The Wrestler, but Big Fan also isn't as heavy-handed.
Siegel feels a little freer than Arronofsky did, playing with pop music and slow motion. And, sad though Paul's life may be, when Siegel has fun, we do too. It's a win-win situation.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
VERDICT: Big Fan may not be met with the same hullabaloo as The Wrestler was (OK, it definitely won't), but it's just about as good. Siegel's no nonsense direction matches his equally sharp writing and Patton Oswalt may have one of the year's best performances under his belt. Definitely worth a peek.
Previous article: Avatar day report
Big Fan
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Film & TV
Latest Articles