Back when Fanboys was being readied for theatres, the
internet angrily exploded. Set in the halcyon days of 1998 when Star
Wars fans were still hopeful about the forthcoming prequels, this
comedy is about a group of rabid “fanboys” on a quest to invade George
Lucas’ ranch, and steal a Phantom Menace rough cut. Why didn’t
they just wait until the film’s release, like all us other, saner
nerds?
One fanboy has cancer; he’ll likely die before Episode I‘s
released. The whole death thing didn’t test well, so a second director
(Steven Brill) was brought in to edit out the cancer and turn the film
into a raunchy road movie, propelled by the cavorting of Dan “Manic
Jackass” Fogler. Real-life fanboys, who’d long anticipated the movie,
revolted; Brill called them “losers,” further pissing off the film’s
only real audience.
Primary director Kyle Newman was given 36 hours to restore his
original intent; semi-happy endings abound. But Fanboys still
sucks. It’s a mess of poor pacing, fan pandering (a Star
Wars-er/Trekkie showdown; Kristen Bell in a Leia bikini; Carrie
Fisher/Billy Dee Williams cameos), nerds-on-the-road movie cliches and
too much damn Fogler. Putting the cancer subplot back in gives the
movie reason to exist—-but that doesn’t make it watchable.
This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2009.