I really like Patton Oswalt; I think he is hilarious. And so when I discovered via NetFlix a movie in which he had starred called Big Fan, I ordered it up immediately. NetFlix describes the movie as a “black comedy” and black comedy – what used to be called “gallows humor” – is my kind of thing. And I have to admit it wasn’t a bad film, but after watching it I felt a little cheated. I found the thing to be so unremittingly bleak that I wouldn’t have categorized it as a comedy at all.
In the film, Oswalt’s character – Paul – lives a life of quiet desperation. He works as a poorly paid parking garage attendant, stuck in a little booth and taking shit from customers. He still lives at home with his mother. He has only one friend, and there is no romance in his life whatsoever. His only real joy comes from his beloved New York Giants football team, about which he is rabid. He scrutinizes the games and players, he is a regular on a local sports talk radio station, and he and his only best buddy tailgate every single Giants home game even though they are too poor to actually afford tickets. Instead, they watch the game on a tiny, crappy TeeVee while sitting in the stadium parking lot.
Despite starting at such a low point, Paul’s life gets even worse as the movie plays out. He faces several decisions during the course of the story and, each time, he is so afraid of hurting his beloved team that he willingly foregoes opportunities to make his own life better. By the end of the movie – and as a direct result of both his frustration with his own pain and his unwavering devotion to his team – Paul has assaulted his arch-rival (a fan of the hated Philadelphia Eagles), and is in prison.
And yesterday afternoon, whilst talking with a friend of mine, I had an epiphany. The members of the rabid Republican base are all Big Fans. They are all Paul, and the GOP is their team.
