BIG FAN — ★★★ — Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan; rated R (profanity, violence, vulgarity, slurs, brief sex, brief drugs, brief partial nudity); Broadway Centre
You probably know someone like Paul Aufiero, the title character of the dramatic thriller "Big Fan."
As played by comedian-actor Patton Oswalt, Paul is a man who's consumed with his favorite team and his favorite sport — almost to the point in which the fan turns into a "fanatic."
Yet the filmmakers don't overplay this material, nor do they stray into the nearly cartoonish whimsy and darker psychological thrills of the like-minded "The King of Comedy" (1982).
It also helps that this film has Oswalt as its star. He has proven in films like "Ratatouille" and in the television series "The King of Queens" that he can be likable and sympathetic, even when what we're not too excited about what his characters are doing.
His character in this film is a thirtysomething parking lot attendant who's still living with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz).
Paul has virtually no life to speak of. In fact, the only times he gets out of the house are for work or during the NFL season. He and his buddy, Sal (Kevin Corrigan), tailgate in a parking lot outside New Jersey's Giants Stadium and root for their favorite team, the New York Giants.
And when Paul spies his favorite player, linebacker Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm), going into a club, he decides to follow him.
Unfortunately, the intoxicated Quantrell ends up pummeling Paul into submission.
Paul's family members and others are urging him to press charges or to sue. But, fearing that might hurt both the player and the team, he downplays the incident.
Screenwriter-director Robert D. Siegel clearly enjoys exploring the relationship between athletes and their fan bases (witness the similarities between this film and last year's "The Wrestler," which he wrote).
His directorial debut has a real ring of truth to it, and benefits from having a terrific cast. Thanks to Oswalt, we like Paul more than we probably should.
And Siegel finds the right use for the obnoxious Michael Rapaport. He's mostly overheard, as the voice of an obnoxious Philadelphia sports fan.
"Big Fan" is rated R and features strong sexual language (profanity, slang and other suggestive talk), brief but disturbing violent content (a beating and some gunplay), other off-color references and humor, derogatory language and slurs (some based on race and sexual orientation), brief sexual contact, brief drug content and references (steroids, painkillers and prescription medications), and brief partial female nudity. Running time: 88 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com