There’s a football game tonight. Did you know that? Or rather, how could we know that? Chances are, no matter when you’re reading this, a commercially luxrative football organization will be cashing in on its streamlined version of modern gladiatorial games. Thankfully, in recent years, the physical and mental toll of the game on players’ health and safety has received national attention. This is good. Pro athletes are well-compensated, but careers can be short. We should also consider the hidden costs. Despite this raised awareness, the king of sports continues to dominate the US marketplace and, perhaps more significantly, our popular consciousness. Yet have we considered the consequences of our own love of the game?

Big Fan does exactly that.

And in unflinching detail. With a brilliant, career defining performance by Patton Oswalt. The film is directed and written by Robert D. Siegel, a former senior editor of The Onion who more recently has reexamined other uniquely American niches of popular culture in TV series about the Pamela Anderson sex tape and the rise and fall of Chippendales dancers. Big Fan delivers a blend of biting comedy, human flaws, and… not as much sports as you would think. It’s still the best movie examining football culture from the perspective most of us approach it: as fans watching on TV. Though maybe not in the parking lot tailgates outside MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey winter.

If you haven’t seen Big Fan, it’s a cult classic, film hipster pick, and Roger Ebert favorite for damn good reasons. And you can watch it right now, ad free, on HieronyVision.

Do you like offbeat indie movies like Big Fan, discovering new filmmakers, and supporting the independent arts? Then sign up for HV’s “Big” Fan Membership today! Want to get more involved? Then apply for Artist Membership for the chance to feature your work on the site and access to exclusive content and events in the new creative ecosystem.