Fifteen years later, Big Fan might show its age in some ways but it still holds up with a phenomenal Patton Oswalt performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 9, 2024

Paul’s fandom digs him into a hole, but he doesn’t learn anything from it [...] Big fans like Paul are dedicated no matter the circumstances, whether their teams are winning or not, and their resolve is scarily unshakable.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 25, 2023

Big Fan stretches credulity in spots, but, for the most part, it manages to keep its eye on the ball.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 1, 2021

... exploits the talent of multifaceted comedian Patton Oswalt... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 16, 2018

Siegel's too busy making Paul the most pathetic person on earth to figure out what makes him tick, and he pauses from humiliating Paul only to portray Staten Island as some sort of cartoonish wasteland.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jun 22, 2013

Despite the rough-around-the-edges direction, this was a compelling character study, anchored by an astonishing performance by Patton Oswalt.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 10, 2013

Astute at observing the behaviors and mindset of the fan who sees no distinction between himself and the team.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Apr 25, 2012

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 17, 2011

Unlovable loser chooses the "low" road

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 28, 2010

Paul may in many ways be the ultimate 'loser' but he feels like a 'winner', so this becomes not just a study of obsession but of the essence of self-delusion and its importance in many people's lives.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 24, 2010

effectively delivers the clueless mentality of the empty headed sports fanatic to life,

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Jan 9, 2010

The decision to look at sports fandom through the lens of addiction gives Big Fan its power, its believability, its pathos, and its humor.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Dec 28, 2009

I didn't enjoy Big Fan, perhaps due to my lifelong total disinterest in sports but I can say that it is quite good and well-made, and Oswalt does a terrific job.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 15, 2009

An odd mixture of "Marty" and "The Cabdriver", best when it focuses on the Marty side of the equation.

Full Review | Dec 7, 2009

Big Fan is wonderfully written, cliche-free and fully capable of surprising you.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 4, 2009

Paul is a sad figure, but the edge is taken off this by his single-minded (some would say dim-witted) devotion to the Giants.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Dec 4, 2009

First-time director Siegel shows promise. His script is solid, and although the last act feels somewhat awkward, the idea is clever.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 29, 2009

...the movie boasts a rough visual sensibility that's mirrored in both the performances and the meandering narrative...

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 29, 2009

We're stuck on the ledge, waiting to see if Paul will jump. Painful, but good.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 28, 2009

Writer-director Robert D. Siegel grew up listening to callers like Paul on The FAN, New York City's all-sports radio, and he gives us a bizarrely sympathetic portrait of a guy who is as devout and as obsessive as any religious fanatic.

Full Review | Nov 22, 2009