010: Big Fan (2009)

Title: Big Fan (2009)
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rappaport
Directed By: Robert D. Siegel

I've been trying to see this movie for 5 months or so. It was scheduled to play a very limited run a few months ago at a relatively close theatre but, truth be told, if it actually made it there then I missed it. The movie was released on DVD yesterday. I'm writing this today. So (I think it's probably a moot point but I feel I should tell you), I had pretty high hopes for this one. I was not let down.

As Paul Aufiero, Patton Oswalt is incredible here. Sure, there's a lot of his typical "lovable schlub" in this character, but he delves deeper than that. You get an inside look at the two warring sides of Paul, the fan and the man. As for the football fan, I'm a long time listener of sports talk programs, and Oswalt's "Paul from Staten Island" who calls regularly to a local radio show was spot-on. As for the conflicted person behind the fan, the actor shows us a side of himself that even his biggest fans might not have known was there. We see a proud, conflicted, beaten man and the lengths to which he's willing to go to maintain his own sense of "normalcy". It is easily a career performance for him, and one that I can't praise enough.

The cast supporting him are all wonderful as well. Kevin Corrigan is pitch perfect as Paul's best friend and maybe the only person who understands him. Also in top form are Marcia Jean Kurtz as Paul's mother and Gino Cafarelli as his successful brother. I believed them as members of the same family. They all played really well off one another.

It is Oswalt's show to steal, but that isn't a very easy task considering how well-drafted the script is. First time director Robert D. Siegel (who also scripted 2008's The Wrestler) did the writing duties here as well. Without blowing too much smoke, all I can say is that this guy has definitely come a long way since his previous gig as Editor-In-Chief of The Onion. I am eagerly anticipating whatever comes next from him as a writer AND as a director.

In a previous review, I talked about how a performance can elevate an indie movie to "must see" status. This is one of those movies. Patton Oswalt's is one of those performances. Recommended.

Score: 8.5/10