Tagline: Eagles suck! [Note: This is not actually the tagline.]
Curiosity: It’s my boy Patton Oswalt. I have to support him. And I liked – but didn’t love – The Wrestler, which writer/director Robert D. Siegel wrote.
Plot: Paul (Oswalt) is generally thought of as a loser by his family. A parking lot attendant, his life revolves around worshiping the New York Giants. He spends his days working on speeches that he later passes off as spontaneous missives for sports talk radio and his nights calling those stations in. His only friend, Sal (Kevin Corrigan), is there for it all, including a case of miscommunication that gets Paul beaten up by his favorite player, star quarterback Quantrell Bishop (Johnathan Hamm). When the beating gets Bishop suspended from the season, Paul is torn between receiving the damages and care he deserves and keeping silent so the Giants can play well, much to his family’s chagrin.
Thoughts: It wasn’t until the very end that I realized the filmmakers were perhaps fond of Paul. Everything leading up to that felt a little condescending, so while the ending validates the character and film, it doesn’t make Big Fan anymore than a one time viewing experience for me. It is intentionally bad – Oswalt knowingly delivers poor performances to mirror Paul’s own terrible acting, Siegel gives the character lackluster dialogue because Paul would never be able to say anything approaching poetry. It serves a point, but that point does not in turn justify the entire experience.
Big Fan takes a while to get, and in doing so, is a tedious film. It looks like it was done on the cheap too – some takes feel like decisions of necessity, not taste, wile the cinematography is grainy and wanting. The story sets out some interesting plot points but never finishes them, like the fate of Bishop or the migraines Paul develops after his beating. Just as in The Wrestler, Siegel seems reluctant to resolve his story, making Big Fan that much more of a drag: A lot of this stuff goes nowhere, and even the turning points that show up feel forced (Paul’s beating, in particular, could have used more build-up. I’m surprised Bishop hadn’t been caught sooner for assault, considering how quickly he flies at the titular big fan). But at least Paul turns out to be a good guy. Misguided and creepy, but he’s alright.
Reflection: Why the hell have I been watching all these sports movies lately?
No comments:
Post a Comment