Let me preface this review by saying that I may not be a huge sports fan, I'm a huge sports movie fan. I grew up in Texas so football was a rite of passage. My Dad LOVED the Dallas Cowboys, win or lose and they did a lot of both in his lifetime. I became a bit of a basketball freak in high school, at first to impress the boys and then because I really truly loved the game. My sister and I followed the Spurs but like most fans, loved the Chicago Bulls. Having been born in Chicago, we felt it was acceptable to root for them. We watched them win several championships and knew the starting lineup by name and sight. So imagine our surprise when at a theatre conference our senior year in high school, the Charlotte Hornets were staying in our hotel. Matt Geiger and some of the other lesser known players were really kind which seems only natural considering we were extremely sweet and cute high school girls who giggled whenever we passed them. But then we spotted BJ Armstrong, who had helped the Bulls win three of their titles. After much deliberation and argument, twin sister finally gathered the courage to approach him for an autograph. A true fan, she had her pen and her notebook. But when she approached him and said "I'm just a really big fan. I'd love to get your autograph," did he say "Thanks, that's so sweet." Or "Glad you know who the hell I am because since I left the Bulls, my careers in the toilet and I'm lucky to score two points if they even let me off the bench." Nope. He kept talking to the clerk, made no eye contact, ripped the paper from her hand, scribbled his signature and handed it back to her without so much as a thanks. End of hero worship in that moment. But I never stopped loving movies about sports. Seen 'em all.
A long intro to a movie review but I understood (if only to a minor degree) the love of the game and it's players that is portrayed in Robert Siegel's "The Big Fan." The fan in question is Paul Aufiero, (played by comedian Patton Oswalt, who proves yet again that comedians are equally adept at drama) is a thirty seven year old loser who lives with his mom, works taking tickets at a hospital parking garage and loves The New York Giants more than life itself. Paul's such a fan of the Giants that after a chance encounter at a nightclub leaves him beaten up and hospitalized by his idol Giants QB Quantrell Bishop, Paul still refuses to sacrifice his love of the team. Not for money, family or a better life. It's maddening but you actually understand who this guy is. Oswalt's performance is nuanced and painfully real and the supporting cast delivers especially his equally sad sack best friend Sal, played by Kevin Corrigan. Paul's family, a typical Staten Island brood could have been cliched but seemed grounded in realism. This wasn't a movie I can say I loved. But I certainly didn't hate it. It was entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed the performances and I thought the heightened level of tension the director created was great but I felt it could have delivered more, especially for Paul. His character was heartbreakingly real but I wanted him to experience some sort of growth or revalation at the end of the film and I never got it. He was the same loser we met in the beginning. Still, I think for a sports fan, it's definitely worth checking out. After reading the reviews, I have a feeling that this film is going to get lots of buzz.
At the screening we attended, director Robert Siegel spoke. Siegel wrote the Academy Award nominated film, "The Wrestler" and it was interesting to hear how the process occurred with The Big Fan being one of his first screenplays and getting him on Darren Aronofsky's radar. While the Wrestler took center stage, it would be another seven years before he could make the Fan and that was with strong interest from Hollywood. While I admired his efforts, I thought at the Q&A he trivialized both the challenges in writing a good story and directing. Like the recent article by Josh Olson, I felt like this was week of hearing successful writers make light of the craft and endeavor their achievements as something that only happened because tehy were truly brilliant. Yes, they are talented but somewhere along the way someone gave them a break. I'm certain there are some naturals out there but once you're on the other side, you should recognize that not only are you talented but you're incredibly lucky. You made it and people are looking at you to guide them. I felt like as a director he was there to talk up his project and impress us with the passion he had for it and instead he talked down to his audience. Of course, there's no way of knowing if he was nervous or jet lagged or maybe just sick of answering the same old questions but it made me like his movie a little less. I think the movie was relevant to me, especially after reading these articles and seeing this Q&A because whether it's football, basketball, or screenwriting, fans are what got you where you're at. And long after the lights fade or the credits roll or the stadiums empty out, it's who you are and what you've given back to those people that really matters.
