The Biggest Fan Review
Director: Maria Torres
Date Created: 2025-05-01 21:02
2
The Biggest Fan Review: Directed by Maria Torres, this Mexican drama features some recognisable actors in its cast, including Kate del Castillo, Diana Bovio, Gabriel Nuncio, Dariana Delbouis, Hugo Catalán, Ana Gonzalez Bello and others. The story follows Lana Cruz whose glamorous life is torn apart following a public blemishing at the hands of a fan in an altercation. What initially appears to be a story about second chances and redemption quickly breaks down into a muddled analysis of celebrity adoration.
The Biggest Fan Review
Let me start with what I liked, because even a movie that doesn’t quite hold together in all its particulars is often not without its merits. Diana Bovio as Polly, the most fervent Lana fan, is the soul of the movie. She brings the right amounts of colour and depth to a character so easily at risk of being rendered in only shades of obsession or annoyance.
There is something wonderfully human about the way she swings between loving Polly and doubting her. I even found myself feeling sorry for her, as she struggled to be faithful to a person who clearly didn’t deserve it. Bovio is understated and earthy, bringing every ounce of emotional weight the movie so desperately needs.
But that’s all as praise goes, unfortunately. The film tries to explore the fraught relationship between celebrities and fans per se (if not exclusively) in this era of social media, where one moment can either make or break a public personality’s image. That is certainly a modern idea, and I was curious to see how the film would explore it. But rather than contribute something fresh or even perceptive to the debate, the plot trips into familiar cliches and a maelstrom of conflicting messages.
For example, Lana slapping a fan leads to a social media scandal—fair enough. But all that afterwards feels forced and hasty. Lana’s mission to “find herself again” by making a low-budget film in a Mexican village felt like a pretext to some much-needed character development. Sadly, it never happens.
Lana, played by Kate del Castillo, is a poorly fleshed-out celebrity whose ups and downs are more emotional landmarks and less of a capricious whim. There are moments of larger issues — she doesn’t like her mother, she’s having trouble with fame, but the movie never delves into any of it. Instead, we just sit back and watch as Lana gets shuttled from scene to scene and feels very little. Del Castillo does her best, but she has little to work with. I wanted to see her hurt, her suffering, her guilt, but she doesn’t change. There would be no redemption there, no growth.
And then there is the filmmaking itself. Honestly, I adore films about making films, it’s like peeking behind the curtain. But this Mexican film The Biggest Fan, makes filmmaking itself appear to be a confused and futile endeavour. The scenes on the set are meaningless to us, and we really never really have any idea of what the film inside the movie is even about. It’s all over the place, like scenes were spliced together by someone for no reason. The absence of structure made it difficult to maintain the interest. I found myself asking, “Where is this going?” more times than I can count.
But what was most disappointing about the movie was its message. It could have made a pretty strong point about how fans tend to project their own dreams and expectations onto the celebrities they admire. Or about how fame can isolate and destroy a person. Or for that matter, how social media has levelled the line between public and private life.
But instead of making any of those potentially strong points, the movie stumbles into the implication that if you really love your idols, you’ll just rubber-stamp whatever they do, and that stars are forever bound to grovel in your eyes. That would not only be unrealistic — it would be dangerous. There can be no redemption in stalking or sycophancy. Good fandom should be about respect and boundaries, not obsession and blind love.
Also Read: The Four Seasons Review: Funny, Warm and Witty Look at Relationships
The cast is decent, if under-realised for the remainder of the company. Gabriel Nuncio, as the flamboyant director, gets a laugh or two, but the character does not go anywhere. Hugo Catalán and Ana Gonzalez Bello offer a couple of notes of emotion, but they are not on screen long enough to make a difference at the conclusion. Amaranta Ruiz, as the costumier, was a pleasant surprise in her couple of scenes. I mean, seriously, I would have preferred to follow her story instead—it seemed way more interesting!
Summing Up
Overall, The Biggest Fan movies is something that you can leave playing in the background as its comedy parts will make you laugh from time to time, but nothing that needs your full focus. If you want a serious examination of fame itself and where the fans come into the celebrity’s life, this isn’t your film. It’s not the worst film I’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly one I won’t be watching again.
The Biggest Fan 2025 is now streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: The Eternaut Review: Ricardo Darín Steals This Eerie, Emotional and Gripping Sci-Fi Series
