Big Fan

Big Fan tells about a crazed Giant's fan whose run in with his favorite player, QB Quantrelle Bishop, turns ugly. Paul, played by Patton Oswald, who is surprisingly good, loves his dear Giants so much that he calls into a sports’ radio talk show after each game and reads his enthusiastic thoughts about how AWESOME the Giants are while his mom yells at him from the next room. He and his equally nut-job friend watch Sunday’s game while sitting in the parking lot with a TV plugged into their car battery. The disturbing incident involving the QB, is what leads to the rest of the events of the movie, so I won’t tell them here, but suffice it to say that his reaction to the bizarre events are unexpected and squirm producing. In fact, that is one of the things I liked about this movie. It is unpredictable. You do not know what is going to happen, and I kept wondering if we were going to get a gratifying Hollywood ending. It’s no joy ride, just so you know. Paul is a sad, aggravating character whose actions defy reason. Also, there are way too many long, intense, music-filled scenes that are supposed to show us some grand theme? Emotion? Not sure, but these scenes seemed gratuitous. Despite these flaws, Big Fan makes an important statement about how our society can make idolatry into the reason for living. And that’s the really disturbing part.