ABSTRACT
Fan, The Although its reception by the media was, at best, tepid, Tony Scott’s film The
Fan (1996) was a fascinating account of a baseball fan’s obsessive and ultimately tragic devotion to his team. The viewer never doubts that baseball’s FANDOM-and those of most other major sports-comprises a substantial element of fixated followers, perhaps stymied by their own lack of ability but no less firm in their commitments. Robert De Niro’s fan gets his spiritual nourishment only by following MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: his job as a knife salesman holds no interest for him and he is prepared to sacrifice it in order to pursue his real love.
