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Big Fan
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Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: Paul Aufiero, a 35-year-old parking-garage attendant from Staten Island, is the self-described "world's biggest New York Giants fan". He lives at home with his mother, spending his off hours calling in to local sports-radio station 760 The Zone, where he rants in support of his beloved team, often against his mysterious on-air rival, Eagles fan Philadelphia Phil. His family berates him for doing nothing with his life, but they don't understand the depth of his love of the Giants or the responsibility his fandom carries. One night, Paul and his best friend Sal spot Giants star linebacker Quantrell Bishop at a gas station in their neighborhood. They impulsively follow his limo into Manhattan, to a strip club, where they hang in the background, agog at their hero. Paul cautiously decides to approach him, stepping into the rarefied air of football stardom--and things do not go as planned. The fallout of this chance encounter brings Paul's world crashing down around him as his family, the team, the media and the authorities engage in a tug of war over Paul, testing his allegiances and calling into question everything he believes in. Meanwhile, the Giants march toward a late-season showdown with the Eagles, unaware that sometimes the most brutal struggles take place far from the field of play. (First Independent Pictures)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    91
    The movie is an unblinking look at the hidden (or perhaps not so hidden) pathology of American sports mania.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    Starring an ideally cast Patton Oswalt in the title role, Big Fan is a poignant, dead-on character study, an examination of a crisis in the life of the most die-hard of die-hard New York Giants football fans.
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Whitney Borup
    60
    Comes across as a little uneven, but far from unsatisfactory. Patton Oswalt is sympathetic (at times heart breaking) and makes the film completely worth watching.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. ThelmaS
    10
    Perfection - even non-sports fan will love this.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Scraper
    9
    Even though the main character is written to be quite pathetic, I think it's easily relatable to everyone who has been disenchanted by one of their heroes, famous or otherwise. That's why you root for him. He's making obvious poor decisions but how easy is it really to make the right ones when the weight of the world is on your shoulders and every move matters? This movie beautifully outlines a character badly in need of a victory in a world that has so few of them. Detailed and original. If you have no insight or need cover models in your movies so your up on the latest fashions then steer clear of this great film.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. asterix11
    4
    Just don't go in to this thinking it's a comedy. It's a depressing slice of life, I guess we're supposed to find comedy in the sadness of it all. It was believable, and well acted, but quite honestly, I just stopped caring about this guy or the film at a certain point and was really nonplussed when it was over. Disappointing because it had huge potential.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 4 User Reviews

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