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Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

Great idea but poor execution ends up sinking ‘Big Fan’

            Every now and again, a movie comes along that has an incredible, absolutely can’t miss concept. An idea so brilliant that even if you tried to do it poorly, you wouldn’t be able to.

            Then you watch the thing and somehow they managed to mess it up.

            A movie that immediately jumps out to me is the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” I still remember when I was a kid wandering aimlessly through Blockbuster and finding the box for the VHS copy of “Texas.” It sounded like the most horrifying thing ever put on film. Then I watched it and it was a sort of funny, sort of creepy movie but nowhere near the nightmare I had envisioned.

            Sadly, “Big Fan,” is one of those kind of movies.

            “Big Fan” is the directorial debut from Robert D. Siegel, who wrote the outstanding “The Wrestler.” The film targets the world of the rabid sports fanatic. The type of person who calls in regularly to radio shows, gets in fights with fans of rival teams and all in all allow their lives to be dictated by the outcomes of children’s games.      

            Even though these people very obviously have an addiction, they never get called on it. In fact, the world just kind of laughs along with them as they paint themselves from head to toe with the colors of their favorite team. On the addiction scale, I guess that sports falls somewhere around porn in terms of severity. It likely won’t kill you but it can make it so that people won’t want to come over your house all that often.

            In the case of “Big Fan,” the addict in question is Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt). Along with his side kick Sal (Kevin Corrigan), Paul eats, sleeps and breaths New York Giants football. Things are so bad that the two actually drive down to Giants Stadium on Sunday just to sit outside of it and watch the game on a portable TV. They just want to be near their team, even if they can’t get inside the building.

            Paul works nights at a parking garage and spends his time there scripting out the phone call that he plans to make to the local sports talk radio station once he gets back home. He, of course, still lives with his mother because he has spent his entire life worshipping at the alter of pro football and couldn’t spare a second to buy a place of his own, let alone settle down and start a family.

            Paul’s entire world is built on this shoddy foundation and eventually everything comes crumbling down when a sort of chance run-in with his favorite player leaves him in a hospital with a black eye that has gone past black and into yellow.

            “Big Fan” isn’t a bad movie, it’s just that the concept is so good and the film’s budget is so small and the script could have used a little bit of tweaking. Really, it was only another draft and a marginally bigger budget away from being great.

            The problem is that Siegel struggles to balance the comedic and dramatic aspects of his film. Sometimes he veers too far into comedy and other times he plays things too safe. Also, he misses a perfect opportunity to turn Paul into a Steve Bartman-esque pariah in the wake of the yellow-y/ black eye incident. He toys with the idea, but never really commits. My guess is that it was the low budget that caused this, but that’s only me.       

            The movie is at its best when it’s lampooning our sports-crazed culture. It falters when it tries to be too funny or too cute. Things really fly off the rails during the outrageous third act, which culminates in a conclusion that is anything but.

            “Big Fan,” is saved by its brilliant cast made up of actors best know for their work on TV. Oswalt and Corrigan are both fantastic in the film. Oswalt really carries the movie, but as far as second bananas go, Corrigan is one of the best. Each infuses their character with just the right amount of depth, elevating them above your average wackos. You can’t help but feel bad for Paul and Sal, who are both so blissfully ignorant to the sorry state of their own existence.

            Michael Rapaport, another TV veteran stops by for a quick turn as Paul’s radio nemesis, “Philadelphia Phil.” The sarcastic and at times grating role is right in Rapaport’s wheel house and he nails it.  

              As a director, Siegel does just fine for his first time out, but his script is just lacking. The concept is definitely there, but the execution isn’t. Not funny enough, not sad enough and the conclusion is frustrating. The whole point of a movie is to make a character go somewhere and not just in the physical sense, something Siegel seems to forget.

Verdict: C+

Nigel the elephant gives "Big Fan" a big shake of the head...