Movie | Big Fan | Pass

Written by the same guy that wrote The Wrestler, you pretty know what to expect: an examination of brutally pathetic characters who live in New Jersey.

Surprisingly, that's exactly what you get. But this time around, instead of Mickey Rourke, you get Patton Oswalt. Oswalt is flat out marvelous in this movie. Just superb and this is a very good dramatic vehicle for him. He drives the movie along, sad at times and scary at others. I hope we see more movies with him as the star. He's a breath of fresh air compared to the Brad Pitts of the cinema world.

Kevin Corrigan is perfect as his best friend, fluctuating from leech-like idol worship to something beyond that.

Unlike The Wrestler, this movie does not have a nasty, truly disturbing angle. To me, that movie was over the top. This movie just focuses on the interesting bits - character development. And, boy, does this movie have character.

If you can't already tell, I liked it a lot, but it's not a particularly uplifting movie. Two thumbs up - one red and one blue.