September 19, 2009: Fanboys
I came late to the Star Wars franchise. The first of the films that I saw in the theatre, and probably the first one I saw at all, was Return of the Jedi in 1983. I recall later videotaping the milestone first airing of Star Wars on TV and came to enjoy the movie from repeated viewing of that tape and later encouragement by friends, but I certainly wasn’t obsessed by any means.
Fanboys is a recent love letter to the franchise, respectful of the canon but not afraid to poke fun at its obvious limitations. It is presented to us in the form of a period story from 1999 about a group of geeks who travel across the USA to steal and watch a copy of the new Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace film before its scheduled theatrical release. We’ve got some hastily sketched characters among this group of friends, including the guy who tried to grow up and move on by working in his father’s car dealership, and the girl who is seen as being “just one of the guys” despite the fact that she’s played by hottie du jour Kristen Bell. I can forgive the Hollywood machine for choosing a Hollywood-beautiful well-known actress for the part, but I can’t entirely excuse the flimsy characters. The writing is awkward as well, with the first 1/4 or 1/3 of the film being quite weak, trying too hard and not really very funny. Also, the plot device which triggers this cross-country quest came across to me as a comedic situation with some characters deliberately misleading the others, when in fact it was real and serious, and allowing this misinterpretation is a major narrative misstep. On a second viewing, knowing the pacing and plot, I might take a different view of the film.
Once the story picks up, and this becomes the adventurous and ludicrous road trip it wants to be, Fanboys takes off. It’s still a mild effort, and is plagued by some wooden characterizations, but it’s hard to be a downer when everyone is having so much fun. The episodic structure works well, and in-jokes and cameos abound. The storyline about the rivalry and pursuit by Star Trek fans is good, but Seth Rogen as the Trekkers’ leader is trying way too hard, and Rogen isn’t believable as a supergeek (despite the silly hair and bad teeth). I think my problem is that he’s been on TV and in the movies playing wiseasses for the past decade, so he’s a genuine star and hard to accept as a geek. Intimate knowledge of the franchise will undoubtedly help in understanding the more subtle jokes, many of which I likely missed, but even a casual fan of the Star Wars universe will enjoy this. Carefully placed cameos by Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher lend a much-needed air of importance and credibility to the proceedings, and William Shatner perfectly elevates the Star Wars/Star Trek rivalry. Kevin Smith, known to fans as a Star Wars nerd and typically placing references in his films, also appears with his buddy Jason Mewes.
A melding of comedy worlds persists here, with the above-mentioned Rogen joined by Jay Baruchel in one of the lead roles, representing the Judd Apatow world. Danny McBride and Craig Robinson have bridged these groups before as well in Pineapple Express and in the works of Jody Hill (The Foot Fist Way). Christopher McDonald plays his usual over-the-top buffoon, who we remember from Thelma and Louise (not funny) and Happy Gilmore (funny). Ethan Suplee, in an intense impression of Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News, is a familiar face to Kevin Smith fans and has a respectable list of dramatic credits as well.
So, is Fanboys great? Well, not really. It’s a brilliant premise but the end product contains only flashes of that brilliance. The whole tone is that of a gentle ribbing, and it likely wants to dig deeper but may be hamstrung by the cooperation with George Lucas and Lucasfilm, with possible limitations placed on how far they could go. The film is clearly reverential of the collection of films and the Lucasfilm legacy, but that doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with being sympathetic towards Lucas himself. A highlight for me in this film was the quizzing administered by Knowles and later by the head of security at Lucasfilm to verify that these really were serious Star Wars fans: when questioned by the Lucasfilm security staff, each person had to correctly answer two obscure trivia questions about Star Wars, and fail to correctly answer a third question about sexual experience. The resolution of the film is satisfying (with respect to who gets to actually see the movie ahead of time and who doesn’t), and the loose ends are all tied up a little too conveniently, but it’s clear that this is a deliberate nod to the way these types of movies are, so that makes it OK. Fanboys is worth a look for Star Wars fans, but don’t set your expectations too high.
Cult homage packs a light punch.
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