FAN BOYS
US, 2009, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Kristin Bell, Christopher McDonald?, Seth Rogen, Billy D Williams, Carrie Fisher, Danny Trejo, William Shatner, Kevin Smith, Jason Mews, Ethan Suplee, Jamie King
Directed by Kyle Newman.
Fanboys has a definite target: the infinite number of Star Wars fans, especially the fan boys (and some girls), the nerdy fans who know every detail about every name, every place and episode in all the films as well as those for whom the Star Wars films were formative in their consciousness, their heroes, comic characters, Darth Vader and his symbolism of evil as well as The Force.
There might be an extended audience for this film, those who benignly consider themselves somewhat superior to the films but are fascinated by the fan phenomenon. It may also be of interest because there are continuous comparisons made with Stark Trek, the different fans, their outfits, the emblems from the films, as well as the rivalries and fights. But Star Wars wins and overcomes Star Trek.
The film opens by establishing four central characters who are to go on a road trip intending to get into George Lucas’s mansion and watch the uncut copy of The Phantom Menace, which means that this film opens in 1998 and the journey moves towards the release of the film in July 1999.
The four central characters tend to be nerds and dorks: Jay Baruchel as Windows, knowledgeable about everything but slightly built and not geared for Galactic battles; Hutch, Dan Fogler, is a hairy and large slacker who lives with his mother in her garage (carriage room); Linus, Chris Marquette, who in fact is dying of cancer; and Eric, Sam Huntington, who has moved away from Star Wars and his school friends and drawing graphic comics, to work for his father’s car sales enterprise which his father bequeaths to him. He has fallen out with Linus but on hearing of his illness, wants the group to go to California to see the film. When they get into trouble and in prison along the way, they call their friend Zoe, Kristin Bell, so that there is a female component of the heroes in quest of Star Wars.
There are the expected adventures on the way, Hutch and an encounter with two escorts, not realising that he has to pay, and being pursued by their pimp, played by Seth Rogen, one of three cameos that he performs in the film, the other being the bouncer with an addiction to Star Wars and an antagonism towards Star Trek. They go into a bar which is peopled by gay truckies, have to perform a strip dance, but are rescued by The Chief who feeds them drugs with consequent trips but fixes their van during the night. This is a cameo for Danny Trejo.
With all the talk about the detail of the Star Was films, it is a pleasure to see Billy D Williams as a judge (Judge Reinhold!) and Carrie Fisher as a nurse at the hospital where they take Linuss in an emergency. There is also a cameo by Star Wars fan, Kevin Smith, along with his associate, Jason Mews.
There is an episode in Las Vegas where they go to find the ground plan for the Lucas mansion where they also clash with the star Star Trek fans whom they have encountered and mocked in a town along the way.
They get into the mansion, caught by Empire soldiers, admire all the costumes and objects from the films, as well as the Indiana Jones features, are held to account by an official who interrogates them, quizzes them, and they find that George Lucas is flattered by their quest and allows the dying Linus only to watch the whole film.
Eric continues his drawing and publishes two comic books.
The film ends with the opening of The Phantom Menace in July 1999, crowds at the cinema – and all seated in the cinema, Eric suddenly asking “what if the film sucks?).
(This reviewer saw the film on its opening day in 1999, but quietly, in a sparsely populated cinema in Scottsdale, Arizona. Not a nerd in sight! While the film was not so good, George Lucas not being such a good director, the character that he introduced, Jar Jar Binks certainly sucked!)
