Starring Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder), Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury), and Christopher Marquette (Superman Returns), Fanboys is an outside look at fandom, growing up, death, and friendship all rolled into one pretty darn funny comedy. While the premise is fairly simple on a surface level, Fanboys reveal nuances after each repeated viewing in much the same way classics like Hi-Fidelity, Detroit Rock City, Wayne’s World, and Empire Records do.
The basic premise here is that a group of “never grow up” friends, that happen to be Stars Wars fanboys, are accidentally reunited with their long lost leader, Linus. Linus has gone on to become a successful car dealer and stands to inherit the dealership from his father. Although tense at first, when Linus learns that his best friend is dying of cancer he decides to rejoin the group and lead them on the ultimate adventure. The year is 1998 and they will travel cross-country to break into Skywalker Ranch and see the rough cut of Star Wars, Episode I, The Phantom Menace. Of course, that would all be too simple. The trek leads them to crashing Star Trek tours, fighting Vegas pimps, finding love, finding themselves, finding drugs, gay bikers, and beating the odds over and over (with some help from Fangirl Kristen Bell). While I love this movie for what it is, the cameos make it that much better. They include Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, William Shatner, and Carrie Fisher, among others. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this film however is the use of the actual Star Wars sound effects, bestowed upon them by the mighty George Lucas himself.
I loved this movie. I see a lot of internet sites knocking it and I’m not sure why. I laughed for days about this movie (as a Star Wars fan) and my wife laughed from start to finish (not a Star Wars fan). The extras are even pretty funny, especially the Webisodes. A look at the actors and how the movie came to be is also pretty interesting, albeit short, and is worth at least a once through. If you are looking for a good laugh then Fanboys is your ticket.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
