Fanboys (2009)

Ah, the Holy Trilogy. For many, the mere mention of it sends goosebumps down their spines as they flashback to things like hyperspace, the hum of lightsabers, and the famous title crawl accompanied by John Williams’s soaring score. For die hard Star Wars fans across the globe, it’s the stuff dreams are made of. Since Lucas’s space opera owes the cosmic heights of its success to those sometimes cantankerous, but extremely loyal, fans who swear by The Force, it’s refreshing to see the release of Fanboys, a movie that pays a hilarious and poignant homage to them.

The film opens in 1998. Three years after finishing high school, Eric (Sam Huntington) has drifted apart from his best friends, a group bonded together by their adoration of Star Wars. When he finds out one of them has terminal cancer, he masterminds a plan for a cross country trip to storm the Skywalker Ranch in hopes of scoring a copy of Episode 1 before its 1999 release date.

It’s a road movie filled with Trekkie (er, excuse me—Trekker) bashing, stripteases to Menudo, and surprise appearances pertinent to both the Star Wars universe and 20th Century science fiction. Seth Rogen plays three small-but-memorable roles along the way, including a Trekker leader and a hilariously tattooed pimp named Roach. The fanboys are joined on the later leg of their trip by Zoe (Kristen Bell), the dream match for any nerd with her cute looks and affinity for R2-D2 and comic books.

What I like most about Fanboys is that it’s a road movie devoid of the kind of raunchy bathroom humor often found in films of this sub-genre. I can’t remember a single fart sound (although there is a funny toilet scene) off the top of my head, and that’s actually a rare thing nowadays, even for big budget blockbusters like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Sure, there are the usual road movie staples like a biker bar and trip to Vegas, but even these were enjoyable and filled with rewarding cameos.

The editing of Fanboys stands out, and the overall pace of the film rarely idles. It’s running time was just right, allowing viewers to accompany the characters on their journey without anyone overstaying their welcome.
What doesn’t work is that much of the humor and gags play off the narrow world actual fanboys live in, so the jokes are hardly universal. There are, after all, people who have no idea who Harry Knowles is or why there’s so much animosity between Star Wars and Star Trek fans. To some, it’s all the same thing. But for real fanboys, that’s the equivalent of dogs and cats mating!

Fanboys is an above-average film filled with likable characters and plenty of outrageous predicaments, but, at its core, it’s also an endearing story about friendship. Outsiders will come to realize that the Holy Trilogy and its prequels are more than just movies for the many people who dress like Storm Troopers and camp out in front of theatres. It’s about the memories, love, and friendships forged from these films. For the true fanboys, this movie is a great acknowledgement of their devotion.

The Force is strong with Fanboys!

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