Big Fan
Encyclopedia
Big Fan is a 2009 independent
drama film
written and directed by Robert D. Siegel
, and starring Patton Oswalt
, Kevin Corrigan
, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport
, and Scott Ferrall
. The story revolves around the bleak yet amiable life of the self-described "world’s biggest New York Giants
fan", Paul Aufiero (Oswalt). Big Fan garnered positive reviews at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
. The film had a limited release in the United States beginning on August 28, 2009.
) is a parking garage attendant who lives with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) in Staten Island, New York
. He relentlessly follows the New York Giants
football
team. He and his friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan
) faithfully attend each Giants game; however, as they can't afford tickets, they must content themselves with watching the games on a battery-powered TV in the stadium parking lot. Paul is also a regular caller to the Sports Dogg's (Scott Ferrall
) radio talk show, where he refers to himself as "Paul from Staten Island", rants in support of the Giants, and berates his mysterious on-air rival, Philadelphia Eagles
fanatic "Philadelphia Phil" (Michael Rapaport
). Paul's family criticizes him for doing nothing with his life. He disregards their scorn and happily devotes himself to his beloved team.
One day Paul and Sal spot Giants star and Paul's favorite player Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm
) and his entourage in Staten Island. They follow Bishop to a drug deal in Stapleton
. Though the pair see Bishop buying something, they naively fail to recognize the transaction. They then follow him into a strip club in Manhattan
. Mustering their courage, Paul and Sal introduce themselves to Bishop. All goes well until the two fans innocently mention that they saw Bishop in Stapleton. The intoxicated Bishop becomes enraged and brutally beats Paul, who is hospitalized for his injuries.
Following the incident, Bishop is suspended from the team. Paul's personal-injury lawyer brother Jeff (Gino Cafarelli) and NYPD Detective Velardi (Matt Servitto
) pressure Paul to bring charges against Bishop, but Paul refuses, worried about the effect on the Giants' performance if they permanently lose their star Linebacker. The charges against Bishop are eventually dropped and he returns to the team.
Jeff then files a $77 million civil lawsuit against Bishop "on Paul's behalf," claiming Paul is mentally incompetent to bring the lawsuit himself. When a reporter phones Paul to ask him "about the lawsuit," Paul becomes livid. He drives to Jeff's house, storms into Jeff's bathroom, and confronts him as he sits on the toilet.
Philadelphia Phil researches Paul on the Internet and reveals on Sports Dogg's show that the victim of the Quantrell Bishop beating is in fact "Paul from Staten Island", humiliating him. Paul heads for Philadelphia to confront Phil. Disguised as an Eagles fanatic, Paul identifies Phil in a local bar and gains his trust as they watch the Giants and Eagles play the season's pivotal final game. As the Eagles dominate the Giants, the crowd in the bar begins to deride the Giants in increasingly enthusiastic fashion, much to Paul's consternation. When time runs out and the Eagles fanatics celebrate their victory, Paul follows Phil into the men's room and pulls a gun on him, shooting Phil multiple times. Phil, lying shocked on the men's room floor, stares at his hands, which are now covered in red and blue, the Giants' colors. The gun is a paintball gun. Paul utters "Eagles suck!" and flees from the bar.
Paul is arrested and imprisoned for the assault. Sal visits Paul in jail and reveals to him the Giants' schedule for the following season. A key game coincides with the week Paul is scheduled to be released---and naturally Paul is overjoyed.
reported that 88% of critics gave the film a positive review.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Robert D. Siegel
Robert D. Siegel
Robert D. Siegel is an American screenwriter for The Onion Movie and The Wrestler, as well as the writer and director of Big Fan.The Wrestler won the Golden Lion at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and has earned several Best Picture nominations....
, and starring Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
, Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...
, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport
Michael Rapaport
Michael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
, and Scott Ferrall
Scott Ferrall
Scott Ferrall is an American sports talk radio personality who currently broadcasts for Sirius XM Radio on Howard 101. His voice is easily recognizable by his crackling....
. The story revolves around the bleak yet amiable life of the self-described "world’s biggest New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
fan", Paul Aufiero (Oswalt). Big Fan garnered positive reviews at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
. The film had a limited release in the United States beginning on August 28, 2009.
Plot
Paul Aufiero (Patton OswaltPatton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
) is a parking garage attendant who lives with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) in Staten Island, New York
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. He relentlessly follows the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team. He and his friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...
) faithfully attend each Giants game; however, as they can't afford tickets, they must content themselves with watching the games on a battery-powered TV in the stadium parking lot. Paul is also a regular caller to the Sports Dogg's (Scott Ferrall
Scott Ferrall
Scott Ferrall is an American sports talk radio personality who currently broadcasts for Sirius XM Radio on Howard 101. His voice is easily recognizable by his crackling....
) radio talk show, where he refers to himself as "Paul from Staten Island", rants in support of the Giants, and berates his mysterious on-air rival, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
fanatic "Philadelphia Phil" (Michael Rapaport
Michael Rapaport
Michael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
). Paul's family criticizes him for doing nothing with his life. He disregards their scorn and happily devotes himself to his beloved team.
One day Paul and Sal spot Giants star and Paul's favorite player Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm
Jonathan Hamm
Jonathan Hamm is an amateur boxer and a former professional football player. Hamm is originally from Atlanta, Georgia but now lives and trains in Saint Paul, Minnesota.-Football:...
) and his entourage in Staten Island. They follow Bishop to a drug deal in Stapleton
Stapleton, Staten Island
Stapleton is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. It is located along the waterfront of Upper New York Bay, bounded on the north by Tompkinsville at Grant Street, on the south by Clifton at Vanderbilt Avenue, and on the west by St. Paul's Avenue and...
. Though the pair see Bishop buying something, they naively fail to recognize the transaction. They then follow him into a strip club in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Mustering their courage, Paul and Sal introduce themselves to Bishop. All goes well until the two fans innocently mention that they saw Bishop in Stapleton. The intoxicated Bishop becomes enraged and brutally beats Paul, who is hospitalized for his injuries.
Following the incident, Bishop is suspended from the team. Paul's personal-injury lawyer brother Jeff (Gino Cafarelli) and NYPD Detective Velardi (Matt Servitto
Matt Servitto
Matt Servitto is an American actor, probably best known for his role on The Sopranos as FBI agent Dwight Harris. He also appeared on all 3 seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series Brotherhood as Rep. Donatello and had a guest appearance on Sex and the City as Carrie Bradshaw's editor...
) pressure Paul to bring charges against Bishop, but Paul refuses, worried about the effect on the Giants' performance if they permanently lose their star Linebacker. The charges against Bishop are eventually dropped and he returns to the team.
Jeff then files a $77 million civil lawsuit against Bishop "on Paul's behalf," claiming Paul is mentally incompetent to bring the lawsuit himself. When a reporter phones Paul to ask him "about the lawsuit," Paul becomes livid. He drives to Jeff's house, storms into Jeff's bathroom, and confronts him as he sits on the toilet.
Philadelphia Phil researches Paul on the Internet and reveals on Sports Dogg's show that the victim of the Quantrell Bishop beating is in fact "Paul from Staten Island", humiliating him. Paul heads for Philadelphia to confront Phil. Disguised as an Eagles fanatic, Paul identifies Phil in a local bar and gains his trust as they watch the Giants and Eagles play the season's pivotal final game. As the Eagles dominate the Giants, the crowd in the bar begins to deride the Giants in increasingly enthusiastic fashion, much to Paul's consternation. When time runs out and the Eagles fanatics celebrate their victory, Paul follows Phil into the men's room and pulls a gun on him, shooting Phil multiple times. Phil, lying shocked on the men's room floor, stares at his hands, which are now covered in red and blue, the Giants' colors. The gun is a paintball gun. Paul utters "Eagles suck!" and flees from the bar.
Paul is arrested and imprisoned for the assault. Sal visits Paul in jail and reveals to him the Giants' schedule for the following season. A key game coincides with the week Paul is scheduled to be released---and naturally Paul is overjoyed.
Cast
- Patton OswaltPatton OswaltPatton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
as Paul Aufiero - Kevin CorriganKevin CorriganKevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...
as Sal - Michael RapaportMichael RapaportMichael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
as Philadelphia Phil - Marcia Jean Kurtz as Theresa Aufiero
- Matt ServittoMatt ServittoMatt Servitto is an American actor, probably best known for his role on The Sopranos as FBI agent Dwight Harris. He also appeared on all 3 seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series Brotherhood as Rep. Donatello and had a guest appearance on Sex and the City as Carrie Bradshaw's editor...
as Detective Velarde - Serafina Fiore as Gina
- Gino Cafarelli as Jeff
- Jonathan HammJonathan HammJonathan Hamm is an amateur boxer and a former professional football player. Hamm is originally from Atlanta, Georgia but now lives and trains in Saint Paul, Minnesota.-Football:...
as Quantrell Bishop - Polly Humphreys as Christine
- Scott FerrallScott FerrallScott Ferrall is an American sports talk radio personality who currently broadcasts for Sirius XM Radio on Howard 101. His voice is easily recognizable by his crackling....
as Sports Dogg
Reception
Big Fan has earned mostly positive reviews from critics. As of January 15, 2010, Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 88% of critics gave the film a positive review.