Average. The subject here is a typical sports fan. The point is to explore his obsession but the protagonist is so uninteresting..unlikeable and the filmmakers try so tediously and annoyingly hard to prove his zealous obsession is actually loyalty that by the end, the film feels much...much longer than its short 95 min runtime. Not recommended.

A brilliant, unnerving look at fanaticism of all kinds. "Big Fan" is the kind of movie that gets really hard to watch at some points, but it's so magnificently done that you can't look away. Between this and "The Wrestler," Robert Siegel seems to have great insight into the human condition, and I hope he continues writing great screenplays. Oswalt is superb too; maybe he'll end up like Robin Williams in doing both comedy and drama. "Big Fan" surprises in many ways -- and all of them positive.

As a black comedy about an obsessed misfit, it's mildly comparable to the recent Observe and Report. But where that movie had problems of tone, this one gets the balance right. It's amusing enough and keeps you compelled enough... it's not great or anything, but it's pretty good. My only real complaint is that I thought it was a bit condescending to Oswalt's character, going overboard in making him pathetic. Do we really need to see him masturbating? I don't think so.

Patton Oswalt is great in this. But wtffffff at the ending

Hoo boy, talk about cringeworthy. The good kind, that is. Oswalt surprised me with his subdued performance and even though the character arc is rather basic I never lost interest.

Siegel's treatment of his lead character is sympathetic and probing, continuing the fascination with those on the fringe that was the strongest element of The Wrestler. As played by Oswalt, the character's whole identity is wrapped up in his devotion, and the minor celebrity it affords as a regular participant in a local call-in radio show. The film feels a little thin, though. There's no quite enough there to flesh out the world beyond Siegel's initial clever ideas.

Patton Oswalt is very good here and I enjoyed the concept of a loner whose sole meaning for existing is lived out vicariously through a sports team. But overall the movie just didn't do too much for me. Being more than a little apathetic about sports myself, I found the characters' obsessions just a tad too far beyond my realm of understanding to fully appreciate and be enveloped in the situation. The ending was a bit goofy as well. Not horrible, but I doubt I'll revisit this one.

83.000

Watching Big Fan brings to the fore all the cliches and easy characterizations apparent in the Siegel's script of The Wrestler, problems that Aronofsky's evocative yet restrained direction and Rourke's amazing performance rendered harmless. After the broad characterization and lighthearted treatment of pathological behavior on display here, let's just say my appreciation of The Wrestler has increased a bit more.

Some amusing bits and pieces (the rough drafts of his nightly sports-talk phone calls and the stumbling delivery of these over the air), but not sharpened to much of an edge or much of a point. Most of the time it's hard to know whether the movie is even meant to be a comedy, despite having the pudgy stand-up comic Oswalt in the lead role, and despite the gleeful ridicule.

Super depressing but worthwhile film. You really feel for Patton Oswalt even as he refuses redemption at every turn.

Cardboard characters and a storyline that seems to be written by someone standing outside looking in and misjudging; P.Oswalt is doing good with what he gets to work from, the rest of this isn't much to be a fan of. *Preview*: #13#, story, reviews, (actors).

This is one of the better dark comedies I have seen in awhile. It seems like an extreme way to look at certain sports fans, but that level of fanaticism is there more often than you'd think. Oswalt is great as the lead and Corrigan is great as his friend. The ending could not have gone any better and I loved the final dialogue with Owalt and Corrigan. For Siegel this wasn't as good as the Wrestler but still a great character study and worth a watch.

You think it's all going to wrap up one very predictable, nauseating way, and then boom: Eagles suck. Awesome.

Living only to cheer on the Giants, the protagonist of Big Fan is equal parts pathetic and tragic. Its obvious that the sport he loves will never love him back (violently rejecting him in the form of a beatdown from a drunk QB) and he has no interest in anything outside of his fandom, enduring his mother to avoid having to move out or get a career started. At times cringe inducing, laughably embarrassing and tragic, its an insight into a life you'll be surprised to feel empathy towards.

This movie is so dumb. No way a person can be this much of a loser or fan that he would not report on a person that beat him up. Just not believable.

Best sports movie I've seen in a long while, also shows Oswalt's range as an actor.

The intensely likable Oswalt mopes, sulks, and rages his way through a crisis and writer-director Siegel tops it off in the funniest and most cathartic way (short of outright silliness) possible.

Siegel's latest character study doesn't suffer as much without Aronofsky as I figured it would. The climax feels like a bit of a cop-out, and I ended up feeling like Siegel didn't push the whole thing far enough. It was interesting to see this type of obsession on display in a film, and to see Oswalt in a real role. A solid directorial debut from Siegel, but a pretty unmemorable film.

Poignant depiction of a loser fan with some interesting things to say about fandom and being content with your lot.

Oswalt gives a terrific performance in the lead, even if the movie goes a bit too far in painting him as a pathetic idiot. Maybe it's because I listen to (and want to work in) sports radio that I find this kind of character more fascinating than some might. I "know" guys like this -- I hear them all the time. I may not be far removed from being a guy like this myself. The climax is a bit disappointing (though fittingly juvenile), but Oswalt and Corrigan's final scene is so good I'll forgive it.

With its unremittingly bleak humor and eagerness to plumb the depths of fanboy abjection, Big Fan seems destined for a future in the cult canon.

Like Siegel's other script, The Wrestler, it's basically an elaborate character study of a very sad and depressing man, anchored by a strong performance from Patton Oswalt. Not quite as outstanding as The Wrestler was, but even more depressing and with a big injection of black comedy.

"It acutely illustrates how excessive sports fanaticism functions as a strain of insanity that, as posited by the "happy" coda, recommences with every new season." - Nick Schager

....wow...well, Robert Siegel has made a big fan out of me, this man knows how to screenwrite! Big Fan and The Wrestler are two of the finest dramas of recent years, I'm looking forward to what is next from this former Editor in Chief of the Onion/burgeoning auteur. Also, I can't imagine anyone giving a better performance than Patton Oswalt does as the die hard Giants fan. ...anyway, great movie, too bad only like 12 people are ever going to see it.

Oswalt turns in a wrenching performance, further supporting my theory that comedic actors usually excel in dramatic roles. The film's unsettling tone is brilliant, though I was disappointed to see it weakened by a relatively unsatisfying climax, which essentially amounts to a prank rather than any sort of character growth or meaningful revelation. Otherwise, definitely worthwhile. I'll be interested to see what Siegel does next.

Good Movie

It had its funny moments, and was overall dark. I felt a lot of the themes of the movies were left untended. Either way, a dark funny look at a sports fan and it's good to see Patton in a leading role.

How anyone can consider this film anything close to quality is beyond me. Long, boring, and dull. The ending, crap; the lead up, convoluted; the whole, not worth a dime.

At first I thought this was going to be about how obsessive "losers" aren't any worse than the people who feel the need to talk down at them. Then it got disturbing. And I don't mean that in a normative way, but this movie is just straight up disturbing. It was like a cross between two DeNiro movies: The Fan and Taxi Driver, with the quality being somewhere in between those two.

Patton is a surprisingly talented actor. I went in to this expecting a lot more laughs, but it's actually fairly dark. It also gets some points for being truly original.

Siegel did a great job getting this movie underneath your skin and being hilarious at the same time. Although the comedy within the movie must be viewed like a Monet rather than specific scenes; I didn't realize how funny it was until I reflected back on it. Also, Oswalt's breakthrough performance for sure.

Interesting exploration of a strange but not uncommon personality. The obsession here is sports but it could be other things and there are some really good moments that shed light on how obsession can affect decision making skills. The ending is appropriately imperfect.

From the technical point of view Siegel did a great job, but I couldnīt get into the plot. Maybe one reason for this is, that I canīt understand those people. Another negative point is the stereotype of a looser, that Siegel created with Paul. The fat, masturbating mope, who lives with his mother?!? Whatver itīs watchable.

This one was cruising toward the Tier 10 zone when the final twist sent it careening off course with just a few minutes left in the film. And what a shame, because up until that unfortunate tonal shift, Big Fan was kicking my ass with devastating truth after devastating truth. Siegel slays the small stuff in his portrayal of rudderless, sports talk radio-obsessed, tri-state 30-somethings. At some points I couldn't bear to watch, for I know people like this. In fact, I might be one myself. Harsh.

Original story and interesting characterization of a loser whose life is so empty he only has football to fill it. Competently made, and interesting to watch, but at the end, I kind of wondered what I had learned or whether the movie changed me -- the only take home lesson i could derive from the film would be 'people are jerks or losers'... but i don't really like that lesson, nor do I even think it's true. still, kind of a neat movie, decently made -- certainly not boring.

An unnerving look at the dark side of obsession and fanaticism. I have to admit that I have never fully understood fanatics and have always thought of them as silly and sometimes downright unlikable. But this film opened up my eyes to a whole new perspective. It's not perfect but it is certainly insightful.

Full disclosure: I'm a huge Patton Oswalt fan, and he shines in this film, totally immersing himself in the character. The story itself is pretty good, too, with some pretty powerful scenes scattered throughout the film. My only, and biggest, complaint is that the third act kind of falls flat and spoils a lot of good buildup.