Little Boys Will Be Little Boys

Sports fanatics can be both the most inclusive and exclusive people in the world. Usually at the same time. "You like the Vikings too? Come in, brother." "Oh, you're a Packers fan? Why don't you go to hell you pus-filled corpse!" Big Fan shows how easy it is to live in a black and white paradise where decisions aren't based on reason or logic but simply on the colored face paint you choose. I can certainly see the appeal of denying the humanity of an entire section of a sports stadium with a well thought out chant but it's never been something I've been able to give myself over to. Patton Oswalt does a lovely job in this film of showing the disturbing end results such mindless sports fanaticism can lead to.

Yeah, but it's a bit too dependent on the dumb jock mentality cliche and the film's broad portrait of a never-ran who supplements his self worth with the highs and lows of his favorite team denies it the chance to be a truly effective movie. Big Fan is a bit too broad and too mean spirited to achieve the beautiful sadness and bruised humanity found in The Wrestler. This film seems to lump all sports fans into the overzealous doofus crowd and I wasn't buying it. As a sports fan myself (Go Red Sox!), I felt personally attacked by the movie so I couldn't love it. Even so, this film was incredibly funny at times and the acting was terrific, especially the always wonderfully creepy Kevin Corrigan, so I give it a 6.

Just because the movie highlights a few of the worst examples of insane sports goofballs doesn't mean that all sports fans are social rejects wallowing in homophobic, sexist, school boy banter with other like minded cretins. I would say it actually makes the opposite point, that there is a distinct appeal to the us vs. them mentality and one of the joys of watching sports is that you are able to create and despise enemies without the actual threat of warfare or attack. Big Fan points out that opposing fanatics are not actually opposites but are in fact exactly the same only with slightly skewed points of view. I don't think the intention of the movie was to hurt the feelings of people who love watching sports or to denigrate baseball freaks like you. I'm surprised you were so hurt by the film. I expected you to have thicker skin.

I knew you would say that, you candy-assed Yankees fan.