The Fan (1996 film)
1996 film directed by Tony Scott
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The Fan is a 1996 American sports psychological thriller film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes, based on the 1995 novel by Peter Abrahams. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and was a box-office flop. Over time, the direction, the performances and the score have been praised.[3][4][5][6]
| The Fan | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tony Scott |
| Screenplay by | Phoef Sutton |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Wendy Finerman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dariusz Wolski |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Hans Zimmer |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $55 million[1] |
| Box office | $42 million[2] |
Plot
Gil Renard is a troubled baseball fan whose favorite team, the San Francisco Giants, have just signed a $40 million contract with his favorite player, Bobby Rayburn. His ex-wife Ellen obtains a restraining order after arguing with the short-tempered Gil over his neglect of their child, and Gil is fired from his job as a knife salesman after viciously insulting a prospective customer.
An embittered Gil begins obsessing over Rayburn. When Rayburn suffers a chest injury during a game and his performance slumps, Gil antagonizes fans who jeer him. Rayburn has also been in conflict with teammate Juan Primo over who gets to keep the number 11 place. Gil, thinking Primo is to blame for Rayburn's performance, confronts him in a hotel sauna in an attempt to persuade him to let Rayburn have the number. Primo reveals his shoulder, branded with the number 11, and refuses. This leads to a struggle in which Gil fatally stabs Primo. After feeling guilty about Primo's death, Rayburn starts playing well again.
Thinking Rayburn does not acknowledge his fans, Gil goes to his beach house and saves his son Sean from drowning. He persuades Rayburn to play a game of catch on the beach. Rayburn states he stopped caring about the game after Primo's death because he felt there were more important things in life. He also tells Gil he has lost respect for the fans, remarking on their fickle nature. An angered Gil nearly hits Rayburn with a fastball and launches into a diatribe. Rayburn is disturbed, especially when Gil takes off his jacket to reveal Rayburn's uniform underneath and asks if he is happy Primo is no longer around.
Rayburn soon discovers Gil has kidnapped Sean and has left a piece of branded flesh from Primo's shoulder in the freezer. Driven insane by his idol's disrespect, Gil attempts to emotionally manipulate Sean into seeing him as his real father. He drives to see an old friend, Coop. Coop tries to help Sean escape, revealing that Gil lied about having played professional ball; his only experience was a brief stint in Little League. Gil beats Coop to death with a baseball bat and takes Sean to a baseball field, hiding him there.
Gil contacts Rayburn to make one demand: hit a home run in the upcoming game and dedicate it to Gil, or he will kill his son. With the police on alert, Gil enters Candlestick Park in the midst of an on-and-off thunderstorm. Rayburn struggles with his emotions while at bat. After several pitches, he hits the ball deep into the outfield but not over the fence. Rayburn then attempts to score an inside-the-park home run. He is called out, although he is obviously safe. Rayburn argues with the umpire, who turns out to be Gil in disguise.
Rayburn knocks Gil to the ground. Dozens of cops and Giants players swarm onto the field and confront Gil. Despite warnings from the police, Gil goes into an exaggerated pitching motion with a knife in hand. Rayburn asks Gil where Sean is, but Gil nonchalantly says he is in the "big stadium in the sky". Gil is fatally shot as he is about to throw the knife. Police discover Sean at the Little League field, named the "Stadium in the Sky", where Gil once played in his childhood. They uncover his obsession with Rayburn as hundreds of newspaper clippings adorn his hideout. A picture on the wall shows Gil in his past glory, playing Little League baseball and winning a championship game.
Cast
- Robert De Niro as Gil Renard / Curly
- Wesley Snipes as Bobby Rayburn
- Benicio del Toro as Juan Primo
- John Leguizamo as Manny
- Patti D'Arbanville as Ellen Renard
- Ellen Barkin as Jewel Stern
- Charles Hallahan as Coop
- Brandon Hammond as Sean Rayburn
- Andrew J. Ferchland as Richie Renard
- Chris Mulkey as Tim (Richie's stepfather)
- John Kruk as Lanz, one of Rayburn's teammates
- Dan Butler as Garrity (Gil's boss)
- Kurt Fuller as Bernie (Jewel's co-worker)
- Stanley DeSantis as Stoney
- Don S. Davis as Stook, Giants' manager
- Michael Jace as a ticket scalper
- M. C. Gainey as a Giants fan
- Aaron Neville as himself (opening game singer)
- Jack Black as a radio broadcast technician
Production
According to director Tony Scott, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino and Wesley Snipes wanted to play the role of Gil.[7]
Music
Soundtrack
| The Fan: Music from the Motion Picture | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | August 20, 1996 |
| Recorded | 1996 |
| Genre | Electronic, hip hop, rock |
| Length | 68:51 |
| Label | TVT |
The Fan: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1996 film The Fan. It was released on August 20, 1996, through TVT Records and is a combination of electronic and hip hop music.
- Track listing
- "Did You Mean What You Said?"- 3:49 (Sovory, Michael Mishaw, Marc Antoine)
- "Letting Go"- 5:35 (Terence Trent D'Arby)
- "Unstoppable"- 3:46 (Mic Geronimo)
- "Hymn of the Big Wheel"- 6:34 (Massive Attack)
- "I've Had Enough"- 2:43 (Kenny Wayne Shepherd)
- "Little Bob"- 5:35 (Black Grape)
- "Border Song (Holy Moses)"- 3:37 (Raymond Myles)
- "What's Goin' Down"- 4:18 (Honky)
- "Deliver Me"- 3:58 (Foreskin 500)
- "Forever Ballin'"- 4:24 (Big Syke & Johnny "J")
- "I'm da Man- 5:24 (Jeune)
- "Sacrifice"- 19:08 (Hans Zimmer)
- "Bem, Bem, Maria"- - (Gipsy King)
Reception
Box office
The film grossed $18,626,419 in the United States and Canada. The opening weekend was $6,271,406 and it dropped 47.2% the next weekend.[9] Internationally, it grossed $23.6 million for a worldwide total of $42.2 million.[2]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, The Fan has an approval rating of 38%, based on reviews from 29 critics. The website's critics' consensus states: "Tony Scott's visceral flash proves to be an ill fit for The Fan, a queasy tale of obsession that succeeds at making audiences uncomfortable, but strikes out when it comes to delivering the thrills."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 32 out of 100, based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[11] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B−" on a scale of A+ to F.[12]