In 2005, Jimmy Fallon had an unhealthy obsession with the Red Sox that almost cost him his relationship with Drew Barrymore in “Fever Pitch.” With directors like the Farrelly brothers (“There’s Something About Mary”), however, the film never strayed too far from their usual comedic territory, which provided the story with some laughs but no real depth.
Exchanging Major League Baseball for the National Football League, writer/director Robert Siegal — fresh off his successful turn at penning the script for “The Wrestler” — chronicles the life of a hardcore New York Giants fan. In his directorial debut, Siegal delves into the mind of Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt in a perfectly suited role), who has dedicated his life to following his favorite football team through thick and thin.
To put it simply, Paul is a loser. He’s 36 years old and still lives at home with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz), who treats him as if he were still a child, chiding him for staying up past midnight and embarrassing him by acknowledging the fact that he masturbates every night before bed. She constantly bemoans her son’s inability to settle down with a nice woman and lead a stable life.
Paul’s mother often compares him to his brother Jeff (Gino Cafarelli), who is a personal injury lawyer. Jeff embraced the mother-of-all-clichés by marrying his former secretary, whose fake tan and surgically enhanced breasts make her a shoo-in for the upcoming season of “Real Housewives of New Jersey.” If that doesn’t spell success, I don’t know what does.
Paul spends his days manning a parking garage booth — a job both mind-numbingly dull and unfruitful. By day, Paul is just an average Joe, but by night, he transforms into “Paul from Staten Island,” a regular contributor to the late-night sports talk radio program, “The Zone.” In his “improvised” rants (which, in actuality, are painstakingly planned out on a legal pad), Paul enjoys expounding the merits of the Giants and bashing his nemesis, “Philadelphia Phil” (Michael Rapaport), who frequently calls the show in support of the Eagles.
Paul’s biggest admirer is his best friend, Sal (Kevin Corrigan), who also lives and breathes the New York Giants. The two get decked out in Giants paraphernalia every game day, tailgate at Giants Stadium alongside other enthusiastic fans, and set up a television set in the parking lot to watch the game. That’s right — they don’t actually have tickets to the game, but they do get to hear the roar of the crowd after every touchdown.
Sitting outside the stadium in the parking lot every week to watch the game on a tiny television set may sound crazy to most people, but for Paul, it’s a revered tradition. He enjoys sitting in front of the screen, cheering on the Giants and the star quarterback, Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm), in particular. Paul watches his hero on TV week after week, and when the opportunity arises to come face to face with Bishop, Paul seizes it.
This is where things get complicated. An overzealous fan, a drunken football player and a Manhattan strip club combine to make the perfect recipe for trouble. Paul learns the hard way that his hero isn’t perfect, and a heavy burden is placed on his shoulder as a result of this discovery.
By showing not just the devotion of one particular fan to one particular team but also the thought process behind that devotion, “Big Fan” elevates fandom to an entirely new level. While most sane individuals will balk at some of the choices Paul makes throughout the film, there is no doubt that he has conviction in everything he does. The film itself is sincere, as is Oswalt, who embodies his character inside and out.