Review: Fanboys

Set late in 1998, this film concerns a group of friends and “Star Wars” fanatics from Ohio, who plan a road trip to Skywalker Ranch, to break in, and sneak a look at the upcoming “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace” before the public gets to see it. Sam Huntington is the one friend who has since moved on from ‘childish pursuits’ to enter the work force, but decides to tag along when he realises his lifelong pal Chris Marquette is dying of cancer (and therefore may not live long enough to line up on opening day). Dan Fogler is the chubby one who lives in his mother’s basement (though he’ll bark at you that it’s a ‘carriage house’), Jay Baruchel is the most stereotypically geeky-looking as a guy named Windows, who has an online lover he’s never seen. Kristen Bell, meanwhile, is the token female, a comic book gal who clearly has a thing for Baruchel. Anyway, along the way they run afoul of the law (including Lando Calrissian himself Billy Dee Williams as ‘Judge Reinhold’), run into trouble with angry Trekkies (principally a miscast Seth Rogen), and acquire assistance from Internet blogger Harry Knowles (Ethan Suplee) of Ain’t It Cool News, and a most unexpected cultural icon who shall remain nameless. Carrie Fisher plays a doctor, Ray Park (AKA Darth Maul himself) plays a Skywalker Ranch security guard, and Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) play ‘themselves’.

First up, let me just say that I’m a proud fan geek. Not only of “Star Wars” but films in general. I have no problem admitting this, and although a homebody, I do not consider myself a maladjusted or pathetic person. I’m happy being a fanboy, and all the haters can just go suck it, ‘coz you’re clearly the ones with issues if you can’t accept that I have a healthy love for cinema. The late Roger Ebert’s shameful review of this film is one of the most offensive (personally), inflammatorily elitist diatribes I’ve ever read in my life, but I don’t want to get side-tracked when what I really want to talk about is the movie.

I know this 2009 film from director Kyle Newman (the awful “Barely Lethal”) isn’t very good. In fact, it has a subplot involving a dying friend that is so poorly integrated and ineffectual that I have to wonder if it’s poor because the studio apparently wanted it removed entirely (the film’s troubled history is pretty well-known online so check out Wikipedia for that, it’s fascinating reading), and what’s left just doesn’t work, or if it would’ve been jarring anyway. But y’know what? For the most part, the fanboy in me (more towards “Star Wars” than “Star Trek”) found it all pretty likeable and clever. Sure, Marquette’s talents are wasted in an uninteresting and poorly-written role, and a fair amount of the comedy is lame (not to mention there’s a lot of Jar-Jar references for a film supposedly set before the release of “The Phantom Menace”), but...it’s good natured and a bit of fun. Hell, even Veronica Mars (Bell) failed to irritate me for once, and that’s something which shouldn’t be overlooked. Ethan Suplee is pretty clever casting as internet icon Harry Knowles, as well.

Yes, it should have been better. Yes, some of the cameos (Shatner, Park- who gets the film’s funniest line) work better than others (Fisher, a bored Billy Dee Williams), but so long as you’re not expecting Dickensian wit, this is a cute film, especially for “Star Wars” fans. The “Willow” reference alone is pretty damn priceless. And hey, there’s even kinda sorta maybe a message in there about friendship and wanting to be accepted for loving the things we love, no matter how geeky or segmented those passions may be. Those messages aren’t exactly well delivered, but they are there nonetheless. I just wish it had more character development, ‘coz the cast is certainly likeable. The one thing the film does capture rather well is the experience of anticipating those “Star Wars” prequels. I’m not old enough to have been around for the first film in 1977 (I was born in 1980), but I did go to midnight screenings of the three prequels, and although I never did anything extreme like dress up, it still felt like more than just your average movie screening. These were events, hotly anticipated, no matter the disappointment that may have followed.

Think of it as a slightly more successful variant of “Detroit Rock City” (Another ‘fanboy’ road movie, also starring Huntington), for “Star Wars” fans. You’ll either embrace this film as a guilty pleasure or you won’t. Or better yet, look at the title and decide for yourself if that sounds like a film you’re going to enjoy. It’s a pretty good indicator of potential audience enjoyment. It ain’t “Spaceballs”, folks, but it’s not the “Star Wars Holiday Special” either.

Rating: C+