The Fan

[realmofotalk]

Bobby Rayburn: At least you're not one of those diehard baseball fans.
Gil Renaud: Why's that?
Bobby: 'Cause those people are losers.


"The Fan" isn't a baseball comedy like "Major League" or an inspirational baseball story like "The Rookie". No. "The Fan" is for the bitter fan in us, the one who witnesses the newly acquired gazillion dollar superstar fall short of expectations. However, unlike those of us fans who would be quick to judge, San Francisco Giants fan Gil Renaud (Robert DeNiro) isn't giving up on his newfound idol, defending league MVP and new Giants centerfielder, Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes as a less happy-go-lucky but similarly self-centered version of Willy Mays Hayes), and more importantly, he wants Bobby to know it, personally. However, being the disgraceful ballplayer he is, Bobby is doomed to let his #1 fan down.

There's not a whole lot of action in this film as you normally find in a usual DeNiro movie, but it is a baseball movie after all. DeNiro still kicks ass, literally, in a couple of scenes, and the down-on-his-luck and obsessed Gil Renaud is a classic throwback to Travis Bickle. There is memorable dialogue between DeNiro and Snipes. Acting gets an automatic 4 from me just because of DeNiro, regardless of a less than stellar Snipes character. The supporting cast wasn't all that important to this film.

Trent Reznor and a DeNiro movie appear to be misfits but the featured Reznor's line "You can have my isolation" aptly describes Gil's mood at his lowest point.

The biggest flaws of this film are that 1) Gil is supposed to be a diehard Giants fan, yet he is not pleased when the popular Juan Primo (Benecio del Toro) outperforms Snipes. Imagine if say, any Yankee fan was to consider Derek Jeter as a detriment to A-Rod's performance on the field; and 2) A player of Rayburn's stature in reality is never represented by an incompetent agent such as usually nerve-wrecked John Leguizamo's character.


Much thanks to redsrbetter for the DVD.

[browntown653]

Great review - I think you just made me want to see that movie.

[realmofotalk]

Bah, because a trailer wasn't available then when I typed up my review, here it is. Oh, and KoZ would be happy to know that Ellen Barkin is in this movie. Woof, woof, awooooo!

[Kingdom]

I've seen it. Eh.

At least we know who the prime suspect is if um.. Andre Ethier is found dead in the showers.