Those desperately wondering when they’ll get a chance to see Rob Siegel’s directorial debut, “Big Fan,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year should hang on to their pants.
During a screening of “Big Fan,” at the Independent Film Festival in Boston, Siegel said the film is getting prepped for a release in August, a small distributor has picked up the film and the official announcement will come out this week during the Tribeca Film Festival. Presumably, this means Overture, Magnolia, IFC or indie distribs of this ilk is the buyer.
Other than his long tenures as an editor for “The Onion,” Siegel is best known for his screenwriting gig on Darren Aronofsky’s down-and-out humanist drama, “The Wrestler” starring Mickey Rourke.
Straight out of the the ’70s loner milieu, “Big Fan” is an engaging, if rough-around-the-edges portrait of a lonely, socially inept mid-30-something (Patton Oswalt) still living at home and obsessed with the New York Giants. His arrested development finds him over-eagerly accosting his favorite player, quarterback Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm), who tests the Staten Island fan’s undying resolve for the team by delivering a severe beatdown and landing him in the hospital. The film also features Kevin Corrigan (who is excellent) and Michael Rapaport in a small cameo role.
Look for details and an exact date to be announced hopefully later this week. Hopefully a trailer for the film will hit soon. Russ from Chud was there too and we were asking questions together. Now that he’s got his piece up, I’m throwing a link his way too.