After an awkward introduction, Paul makes the mistake of mentioning that he's been following the sports star and his entourage for the past few hours, and the drunken athlete reacts by beating him senseless. Paul gets in trouble when he spots a Giants quarterback at a gas station in a shady neighborhood and follows him into a NYC nightclub. The fact that he must write his speeches down beforehand, and preps himself for hours in advance of calling, says everything. He treats his family like crap and has terrible mood swings he only seems truly happy when he's in his element: either witnessing a Giants win or ranting to strangers on the radio. If this were an Adam Sandler comedy we'd probably have scenes showing us how misunderstood and sweet Paul is, so we can understand that he's the one we're meant to root for, but Oswalt's Paul isn't so cleancut. He creates a fully convincing and pathetic loser, and is unafraid to reveal all the character's lowest points.
Paul is played by Patton Oswalt, one of the funniest stand-up comedians alive, and what he does in this film is really quite remarkable. He works as a parking lot attendant in New York, and is content to sit in his booth at night writing down passionate, articulate rants, so that when he goes home he can call a local radio sports show and prove his fanaticism for the Giants, his favorite football team. Paul is in his mid-thirties, single, and still living at home with his mother.
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