The Stranger

Patton Oswalt is a funny little squeezy-toy of a person whose standup—cheerfully brutal, sprawling yet precise—is among the best in the world ever. In the grim almost-comedy Big Fan, Oswalt plays Paul Aufiero, a Staten Island parking-lot attendant whose life, wife, god, sun, stars, and reason to eat, poop, and breathe is the New York Giants. When, thanks to alcohol and overexuberance ("fan" is short for "fanatic," right?), he gets the shit beaten out of him by his favorite player, Aufiero's life plummets to dark, low, surprising places. Big Fan makes the most of Oswalt's chubby pathos while excising any hint of healing irony. It's tough and good. (See Movie Times: thestranger.com/film.) by Lindy West

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