Fanboys
When you make a movie called “Fanboys,” what exactly are you expecting? Cameos? Check. Spoofs on fan wars? Check. Jokes at the expense of the expected audience? Yeah, we got that as well.
Does that mean any of the jokes are funny? Well, that’s a matter of opinion. The film- as directed by Kyle Newman and scripted by Ernest Cline and Adam F. Goldberg- is hap-hazard and slap-dashed together in an attempt to recreate the geek boy enthusiasm of Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” Smith has the silly and vulgar comic mind to make this work- and the fact that Smith and his hetero life-mate Jason Mewes make a cameo in this farce makes that fact all the rougher to take for someone who knows that something like this could work.
So, what is “Fanboys” about? Simply, four friends- and life-long “Star Wars” geeks- head out on the road in 1998 on a mission. The goal? To break into Skywalker Ranch and catch a sneak peak of “Episode I- The Phantom Menace.” Yeah, in hindsight we know it wouldn’t be worth it, but at the time, this was the end-all be-all of movie events. But they haven’t always been that close- while Windows (Jay Baruchel), Hutch (Dan Fogler), and Linus (Chris Marquette) haven’t really grown out their arrested geek development, Eric (Sam Huntington) has grown up, although that means following in his father’s footsteps as a car salesmen. Now, however, he’s looking to get back in touch with his inner geek, although it might be because Linus- who used to be his best bud- has terminal cancer, and won’t be around to see the film when it comes out.
To say that the four are beset with problems on their way is putting it lightly. Eventually their cool geeky gal pal (“Veronica Mars'” delightfully sexy Kristen Bell, who- I must say- isn’t shown enough in the Leia Slave outfit she’s seen in at film’s end) gets in on the adventure, which includes run ins with Trekkies (led by a hilariously dorky Seth Rogan, who has a few roles in this flick), a couple of Vegas escorts, Ain’t It Cool geekmaster Harry Knowles (played by Ethan Suplee from “My Name is Earl”), a pot-smoking car repairman (Danny Trejo), and a couple of run ins with Skywalker security (including Danny McBride and Ray Park) that is dressed like the guards in Lucas’ own “THX-1138.” The beard himself doesn’t make a cameo (however, “Star Wars” vets Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams do), but you can imagine him getting a good chuckle and what these guys go through.
Unfortunately, a good chuckle is about all you’ll get out of “Fanboys.” As comedy, it’s pretty limp, although there are some amusing moments that make it worth watching for the geek faithful who fought for the film when Weinstein Scissorhands (a notorious post-cutter) tried to cut the film against the maker’s wishes. I don’t know that the film deserved such passion on the part of the geeks, but neither did “Episode I” when all was said and done. At least this movie feels like a labor of love, regardless of its’ faults.
