"My fantasy has turned to madness, and all my goodness has turned to badness. My need to possess you has consumed my soul. My life is trembling I have no control." -Obsession by Automation.Last year on the viral video comedy show Tosh.0 there was a segment involving an adult New York Giants fan so upset over the loss of his team he began violently sobbing over a great deal of time while his friends mocked him and recorded the event. Most would see this act as disturbingly pathetic, but a character like Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) would call it devotion.
Paul works in a toll booth, lives with his mother, and is a die-hard fan of the Giants. He lives for game day, yet I'm not sure if he has ever actually been to a game. He and his best friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan) sit outside Giants stadium every sunday, and from their 13 inch television rejoice at victory or are crushed by defeat. Paul also makes numerous calls to a talk sports radio show to boast about his teams efforts, and to talk shit to a rival Philadelphia Eagles supporter.
However, Big Fan is not simply about sports fanatics. It is a scathing black comedy that is so full of irony I could hardly believe it. Without going into the specific details, how would you feel if the thing you loved the most not only betrayed you, but physically harmed you? What if you now had a hand in controlling the outcome of success or failure of the thing you held so dearly? Where would your devotion lie at that point? All of these questions bombard Paul as he struggles to make a decision.
Wether you see Oswalt's brilliant portrayal of Paul as sympathetic or simply just pathetic will depend totally on your own personal outlook of life. If you have never been totally obsessed with something I doubt you will be able to understand. Everyone needs something to believe in or devote themselves to. The questions are: What kind of responsibilities does the devoter have towards the devotee?, and how far should a commitment towards something go before it has gone too far? Let's just say that once lawsuits and a gun make their way into the picture you know it has gotten out of hand.
Big Fan is an interesting little find, and at only 86 minutes does a great job of not overstaying its welcome. Its ending is both sad and simultaneously humorous and hopeful because there is always next season to look forward to. The film's title is completely appropriate because it definitely turned me into one. (But it's not like I'm obsessed or anything.) B+
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