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The Fan (1996)

R  |   |  Action, Drama, Sport  |  16 August 1996 (USA)
5.8
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Ratings: 5.8/10 from 36,537 users   Metascore: 32/100
Reviews: 83 user | 47 critic | 16 from Metacritic.com

An all star baseball player becomes the unhealthy focus of a down on his luck salesman.

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Writers:

(book), (screenplay)
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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
Ellen Renard (as Patti D'Arbanville-Quinn)
...
Tim
Andrew J. Ferchland ...
Richie Renard
Brandon Hammond ...
Sean Rayburn
Charles Hallahan ...
Coop
...
...
Bernie
...
Scalper
...
Leon, the Bartender
...
Edit

Storyline

Three-times MVP baseball player Bobby Rayburn joins the San Francisco Giants, and obsessive fan, whose profession is selling hunting knives, Gil Renard is excited over that. But Rayburn plays the worst season of his career and Renard tries to do everything to help him, but goes too far. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Baseball's $40 million man has always treated the game like a matter of life and death. This time, it really is. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language throughout and some intense violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

16 August 1996 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El fanático  »

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,271,406 (USA) (16 August 1996)

Gross:

JPY 488,949,200 (Japan) (29 November 1996)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(8 channels)|

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Al Pacino was considered for the role of Gil Renard. See more »

Goofs

Major League Baseball games are not played in heavy rainstorms. The game would either be stopped until the rain subsides or called off and rescheduled. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Gil Renard: [voiceover] Excited and anxious I await my dream / To escape, applaud, and embrace my team.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Strictly Background (2007) See more »

Soundtracks

GIMME SHELTER
Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones
By Arrangement with ABKCO Records
Published by ABKCO Music, Inc.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
De Niro makes it all worthwhile (just)
30 April 2001 | by (London, England) – See all my reviews

A flawed movie, but worth seeing for De Niro's performance as Gil Renard, an increasingly crazed fan/stalker. Also, yet again, baseball shows itself as the sport most able to provide striking visual metaphors for the ups and downs of life (though, as a Brit, I've noted some of the specific criticisms aimed at the baseball sequences in this movie by IMDb commenters from the US).

Where the movie, via the genius of De Niro, certainly succeeds is in convincingly demonstrating how easily and quickly obsessive devotion can turn to obsessive hatred, when the object of that devotion fails to meet the assumptions of the extreme fan. Certainly, there's some of Max Cady, the Cape Fear psychotic, in his portrayal; but there's also a lot of Rupert Pupkin, the confused kidnapper and would-be comic from King of Comedy - both films, of course, directed by Martin Scorsese.

Where the film fails is in being too repetitive and, consequently, a bit too long; one or two of the scenes where Gil is trying to sell his knives are superfluous; and, when Gil is at the game with his son, why does the camera have to keep cutting to the woman in the crowd - once or twice would have been sufficient. Several of the scenes also seem derivative, especially those involving Dan Butler, as Garitty the sales manager, which echo Glengarry Glen Ross. A major unconvincing aspect is that surely a $40m signing, like Bobby Raybourn (Wesley Snipes), would be surrounded by a lot more razzmatazz than simply one not-too-effective agent (John Leguizamo).

But, on the whole, one to rent or watch on TV (as I've just done) if nothing more compelling is available.




22 of 31 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Recent Posts
What was Gil thinking??? chihuahuaboydh-724-612855
Who's the 'busybody' in the Stanford hat? montagueterrace13
good movie, crappy ending sickthoughts
Hey look...it's Barry Bonds! brandtleyland
rating way to low superflycox
Anyone else love this film's soundtrack? rmoore23
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