Fanboys Reviews

Since I kept hearing some interesting things about this flick, I was quite eager to check it out. Eventually, I thought it was a decent film about fandom but it was still nothing really mind-blowing though. I mean, there was definitely some funny stuff like for example the whole Star Wars-Star Trek conflict which was just hilarious and the cameos were pretty cool as well (Carrie Fisher, William Shatner, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Jamie King, Ray Park, Billy Dean Williams,...). I guess my main issue is that it was basically a film about fans, about the glory of the fans, especially made for the fans and since I'm not one of them, I didn't care much about the whole thing, I'm afraid. Roger Ebert was even more critical than me and said that it actually glorified a stupid lifestyle (or something in those lines). Personally, I don't agree with him and I think it is pretty cool to have a hobby and to be passionate about something but such a hobby is not something really interesting for anyone else except if you share the same interest. I mean, of course, I like the first Star Wars trilogy, but I enjoyed them above all when I was a kid and now that I moved on towards other things. Those guys were just stuck with Star Wars and even though they were definitely entertaining,  they were also rather pathetic. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it remains a fun and original comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

"Nobody calls Han Solo a bitch!"

From the outset, Fanboys wears its Star Wars fandom visibly on its sleeve, right down to a familiar opening scroll that's even prefaced with the title "A short time ago in a galaxy not so far, far away..." Immediately, it's obvious you're dealing with passionate fans, and that the experience to follow will be endearing, goofy and fun. Shot in 2006 before subsequently becoming the victim of a heated post-production war, Fanboys at long last rises out of Harvey Weinstein's dust-laden vault to satiate the devoted who hoped to one day enjoy this carousel of Star Wars references and male bonding humour. The makers of Fanboys aimed to provide a love letter to fanboys and fangirls worldwide - i.e. to those who devote themselves to an aspect of pop culture and often endure ridicule for their passion. Unfortunately, while this tribute to fandom has its moments of sheer brilliance, it is primarily a conventional road trip feature that doesn't manage to rise above the standard for typical entries to the tired genre. There's a selection of very funny moments and sly references, but it ultimately ends up feeling clichéd and shallow. In the hands of more adept storytellers, this could have been a far deeper, more thoughtful movie.

Fanboys is set in 1998, and the countdown to the highly anticipated release of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace is intensifying. The story tracks a group of Ohio's biggest Star Wars fans - Eric (Huntington), Linus (Marquette), Hutch (Fogler) and Windows (Baruchel) - who live and breathe everything Star Wars and believe six months is too long to wait for the prequel. Three of these protagonists are also stuck in perpetual adolescence: they work in a comic book store, still live at home and are hopeless with the opposite sex. As for the fourth protagonist, he has grown up and works at his father's successful business. However an awkward reunion at a Halloween party reignites these old friendships. When it's revealed that Linus is dying of cancer and won't live long enough to witness the premiere of The Phantom Menace, the boys devise a plan to travel to the Skywalker Ranch in San Francisco where they'll break in and steal an unfinished copy of the much-anticipated flick...

See, since this is set before George Lucas released the dire prequels, these guys genuinely believe the new Star Wars film will be worth all the trouble...

It's fair to say that The Weinstein Company, who distributed Fanboys, treated the film abominably. It was originally due to be released in late 2007, but reshoots, re-edits, and marketing uncertainty forced the release date to shift multiple times before it was finally dumped into a small number of theatres in February 2009. Fanboys was beset with controversy because the Weinsteins re-edited the movie in order to eliminate the subplot about Linus being terminally ill. It'd be interesting to find out how close the film's theatrical cut is to director Kyle Newman's original vision, especially considering that Stephen Brill (the guy behind Without a Paddle) conducted the reshoots of which Newman took absolutely no part in.

As for the cancer subplot, it gives the plot momentum and it provides the characters with further motivation. However, the fact that it could be so easily excised indicates how little it is actually touched on. Linus never talks about his sickness, and he rarely even seems sick. His cancer is only mentioned at the beginning before resurfacing once the film begins to wind down. There's a lot of potential here that's never fully realised. Newman and the writers tread lightly around the subject of mortality and the real reason for this cross-country adventure. They instead maintain a light tone, keeping the focus on pop culture references as well as the wacky situations the characters become entangled in while on the road.

It's probably best to consider Fanboys an affectionate ode to the adventure of geekdom, and how pure the feeling of Star Wars idolatry was back in 1998 (before the Jedi nation was forever divided upon the release of The Phantom Menace). Fanboys plays out more or less as one would expect from a road trip picture. The characters interact, meet quite a number of strange people, and reach their destination only after some unexpected detours. Like most movies of this ilk, there are segments of the film that work better than others. One of the better scenes depicts Hutch taking a detour in order to go to Captain Kirk's Iowa hometown and harass some rabid Star Trek fans. In fact, the Star Wars vs. Star Trek war rages on throughout the course of Fanboys (fairly ironic in 2009, as the latter franchise just became cool again thanks to a big-budget revival). This particular subplot is the film's finest touch, permitting the two rival factions to slap each other around for a number of good laughs. The characters' final arrival at Skywalker Ranch - complete with ninja outfits, grappling hooks and Star Wars props galore - is a fitting finale that suits the movie's silly, warm-hearted tone.

Most of the characters are treated merely as caricatures, defined only by their obsession and complete inability to relate to anyone outside of their small, insular circle of fan-friends. Not to mention the film is also overflowing with clichés. The dialogue is admittedly quite flat at times, and the raunchiness is tame (due to the docile PG-13 rating). Fanboys could have used some Kevin Smith or Judd Apatow-style moments to increase the laugh quota and make it a tad more daring. The dialogue is even so clichéd that towards the end, after their quest is over, Linus explains "It was never about the movie..." How's that for subtlety?

The filmmakers certainly do an excellent job of honouring fandom. The extensive list of cameos is very impressive, and there are endless Star Wars references. In terms of cameos, there's Danny Trejo, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Danny McBride, Ethan Suplee and even William Shatner (whose appearance is hysterical). Seth Rogen even appears, playing not one but three roles: a bucktoothed Trekkie, a Trek conventioneer dressed as a monster, and (most hilariously) a Las Vegas pimp! Amazing, Rogen steals the show from the lesser-known actors and manages to pull off actual characters rather than thinly veiled versions of himself. Star Wars alumni Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher both make cameos, as well as Ray Park who's given a small role as a security guard at Skywalker Ranch. On top of this, scenes and situations from the original trilogy are even recreated. The obvious missing cameo is George Lucas, but the man did give the film his blessing. Consequently, familiar sound effects are used here and there as Lucas granted the filmmakers the rights to the Lucasfilm audio library.

Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler and Jay Baruchel all place forth energetic performances as the four protagonists. They're a very watchable gang. Meanwhile, the eternally-charming Kristen Bell makes an appearance as a geeky young girl who joins the boys for their quest. Her reappearance at the halfway point gives the picture a welcome jolt of life.

Fanboys is not a Phantom Menace-level disappointment, but it remains a generic comedy. On the other hand, it's a very enjoyable, fun flick, and the humour is occasionally quite clever. The final sequence is particularly apt - when our heroes are camped in lines outside a theatre for the premiere of The Phantom Menace. In this single scene the filmmakers manage to accurately capture the tremendous anticipation for this particular movie event as well as the dedication of the fans. This is followed by a sly last-minute jab at the quality of the first Star Wars prequel. These moments, as well as other isolated scenes, are pure brilliance within an otherwise by-the-numbers motion picture.

The film jokingly and affectionately makes fun of fanboy culture, employing clichés to build the characters as well as their circumstances. While only a few fans will see a replica of themselves in one of the protagonists, all those who identify with the label "fanboy" will almost certainly see some representation of their passion on the screen. Fanboys is just really good, fast-paced fun, and it's easy entertainment.

6.7/10

Hearing an actual release date and time for this film really got me excited; for some reason no matter how big the backing and fanbase is for the Star Wars film series, I didn't think it would make it to theaters. Sure enough, there it was, and the day it came out i went to on e the first showings; leaving enough time to take care of my head before seeing it of course. Up until the movie started, i just was going on the shear fact that a movie was made about Star Wars fans; not realizing it actually had a deeper plot than that. Five friends are reunited at a Halloween party, and though times were different and people saw life in different ways, all gets put aside for one of them is terminally ill and all 5 team up to storm the Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of the rough "Episode One" chapter of the Star Wars film series to view before it is too late for Linus. Along the way from Ohio to California the group encounter a great deal of things which thicken up the plot and add to the laughter count including beating up Trekkies, hilusinating on peyote, and RUSH, all rush, all the time. Not a bad ending as well, not too sad, but just enough to give the idea of what happened; and how the trip to California wasn't only for the movie, but to have one last great bond between the five. Also, this film had alot of cameos including Seth Rogen (Three Times!), Danny Trejo, and none other than princess Leia Organa herself; Carrie Fisher.

William Shatner: Are you kidding? I'm William Shatner; I can score anything.