“Big Fan”: Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Before all the accolades that came with writing an Oscar-nominated film (“The Wrestler”), Robert Siegel wrote and directed a small picture using football as a backdrop on the psychology of obsession. Having scored in a run through the film festivals, “Big Fan” has garnered some critical momentum that may yield broader distribution. One of the reasons why is that the story rings of a sad truth. Or is it? Who are we to judge?
We’ve all seen the type. They are the longer version of fan – the fanatic. And if you know one of these people personally, you are also probably aware that their fandom usually hinders the functionality of other aspects of their life.
Patton Oswalt plays, Paul Aufiero, a 35-year-old parking-garage attendant from Staten Island, and is the self-described “world’s biggest New York Giants fan”. Living at home with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz), scribbling notes on what he’ll say when he calls late into the night to a local sports-radio station, where he rants in support of his beloved team and against the hated rival fans of the Philadelphia Eagles.
His mother and especially attorney brother Jeff (a solid delivery by Gino Cafarelli) constantly berate him for doing nothing with his life, but that is largely due to the fact they don’t understand the depth of his love of the Giants and what that kind of devotion entails.
One night, Paul and his best friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan) spot Giants star linebacker Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm) at a gas station in their neighborhood. They impulsively follow his limo into a Manhattan night club. When they eventually decide to make personal contact with their hero, things go very awry. What follows from this chance encounter brings Paul’s world crashing down around him. While the Giants march toward a late-season showdown with the Eagles, Paul’s family, his beloved team, the media and the police get involved in a wrestling match over Paul, who is forced to make decisions testing his allegiances and calling into question everything he believes in…. in sickness and in health, a love that is tested through thick and thin.
The SandC Interview: Robert Siegel writer/director- “Big Fan”
Robert how did this project come about for you? Had you been a sports fan in general?
Been a sports fan my whole life and the genesis of this picture has roots in my childhood when I’d often listen to sports radio. Grew up on Long Island and really liked WFAN and heard the voices of these colorful characters. It was a recurring cast- Vinnie from Flushing and Joe from Bayside -working class guys with amazingly thick accents from parts of New York City that I never went to. They were fellow New Yorkers but sort of exotic in a way since I did not have access to working class suburban areas of New York.
You’d listen in and it had sort of a voyeuristic quality wondering what they looked like and the type of lives they led.
As I gravitated to film, I found that my favorites could have the same type of characters like these appear in them. My favorites include some of Scorsese’s early titles like “Mean Streets” and “Taxi Driver”. Other pictures I like are “Saturday Night Fever” and “Midnight Cowboy”. Misfits, loners, oddballs or outcasts- they intrigue me. One can see some of my film influence from that combination of those sports and seventies cinema interests.
Did you study any films in prepping your story?
Not much studying per se as simply tapping into the vibe of the films I love.
As a movie fan in general besides Scorsese, I like Robert Altman and Hal Ashby and wanted to have this film have a seventies feel. “King of Comedy” and parts of “Bad Lieutenant” were influences.
Do you consider “Big Fan” a sports movie?
Not a typical one. It didn’t have a clear redemption arc. There are many different types, but when I think of sports movies “Hoosiers”, “Remember the Titans”, “Rudy” underdogs with the guy getting carried off the field in triumph.
I prefer things a little more gritty and realistic. “The Hustler” and “Fat City” come to mind. I also like comedy such as with “Bull Durham”.
What makes sport such a compelling backdrop for storytelling in movies?
I’ve written a lot of movies that are not about sports, but the two that I’ve made have sports ties. I am interested in pop culture in general and sports are a huge part of it. There have not been many films about fans. “The Fan” with Robert DeNiro is more of a thriller less about sports fandom.
Talk a little about casting
I like casting people who are believable. Don’t like films where a handsome movie star lives in the basement of his mom’s house and doesn’t date. Not something for George Clooney. Mickey (Rourke) is believable as a wrestler.
For “Big Fan” the more obvious to have gone for would be Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, or John C. Reilly, I wanted a younger character. Patton has anger in his humor and comedians in general are dark. Patton is not a sports fan but understands the psychology of nerdy obsession. Caring way too much about something.
What were the biggest challenges to completing this picture?
Getting the money wasn’t the main issue since it was largely self-financed. Still difficult.
From concept to final edit- how long was the process?
Six years. Shooting to final edit about one year. I started literally the day after “The Wrestler” wrapped. Finished that on a Tuesday and the next morning I was shooting in the parking lot Giants Stadium.
New York sports has a sort of hierarchy. Giants and Yankee fans tend to be upper class while Jets and Mets fans are more working class. By going wit the character as a Giants fan it enhanced that “outsiderness” feel.
What do you hope audiences come away with from seeing “Big Fan”?
I don’t really have a message. I just wanted to make a movie that is a character study audiences hopefully will be entertained by.
Like Randy the Ram, Patton’s character kind of wants to be left alone but the rest of the world has a problem with them. They just want to enjoy what they are into. They’re happy.
A cardinal rule of screenwriting is that character should have an arc going form Point A to B by the end of the movie. I didn’t do that with either character because I think it is a little more true-to-life.
How has your journalism background helped you as a screenwriter?
It has helped quite a bit in my film writing. Not cherising every word. At The Onion we had to put together a paper every seven days whether we were inspired or in the mood you must crank out copy. So I went from a seven day work cycle to a five-year work cycle. At The Onion I’d think of a joke on Tuesday and it’d be out to the world by Friday. Now I have an idea in 2003 and it goes out to the world in 2009. Not being able to obsess over every word made the leap to screenwriting a lot easier. It was good training. I can now see why more than a few screenwriters have come from journalism backgrounds.
What are your five favorite sports movies of all time?
Raging Bull
Slap Shot
Bull Durham
Fat City
Rocky
Writer is right, enjoyed the film mostly because I know people like that…not me of course.
The pursuit of happiness is relative and interesting movie fodder.
I liked both The Wrestler and Big Fan, they have a real everyday life feel to them, wondering what Robert is going to do next.
I think Robert is on his way as a fine filmmaker. I enjoyed both of these titles
Didnt realize Siegel wrote The Wrestler. I thought Mickey Rourke was very believable in that.