'Star Wars' road trip comedy 'Fanboys' succumbs to Lucas-itis
Pretty much everyone in the civilized world knows that the greatest fumble in the history of film took place when George Lucas followed up his classic "Star Wars" trilogy with a badly directed, poorly written prequel, "The Phantom Menace."
How could such a great premise for a motion picture be squandered so heinously?
Yet, the same thing happens with "Fanboys," a low-budget "Star Wars" geekfest about a group of hard-core fanboys (a woman gets added later) who in 1998, travel from Ohio to California so they can break into Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of the highly anticipated, as-yet-unreleased epic "The Phantom Menace."
Nope, they're not pirates trying to sell bootleg copies. One of them, Linus (Chris Marquette), has cancer and will be dead long before "Phantom Menace" is released in 1999. His friends want to give him this gift.
What a wonderful premise for a raucous road trip comedy.
Quickly, "Fanboys" comes down with a bad case of Lucasitis.
The flabby, unhoned script needs four or five more rewrites (one if done by Lawrence "Empire Strikes Back" Kasdan).
The formless direction by Kyle Newman lacks comic timing, and fumbles an impressive array of cameo appearances by letting guest stars stick around much longer than their jokes can sustain them.
The serious cancer element makes for an emotional dramatic thread that Newman utterly disregards. (The Weinstein Company once foolishly cut this subplot, but eventually reinstated it.)
Linus and his estranged best friend Eric (Sam Huntington) get together after a three-year split. Eric has given up his dream to become a comics artist, and is poised to take over his dad's thriving car dealership. (This movie has been in the can for several years, as you might guess.)
Once Eric discovers Linus' plight, he gets together with his other "Star Wars" pals Hutch (Dan Fogler, channeling Sam Kinneson) and Windows (Jay Baruchel) to take Linus to the promised land of Skywalker Ranch.
Anyone who's ever been a "Star Wars" fan will instantly relate to these characters.
Anyone who's ever seen formula road movies will instantly recognize cliched subplots.
On the way to Skywalker, the guys run into a tough-guy gay bar. Embarrassment ensues. Not a surprise.
In Las Vegas, Windows and Hutch pick up two hot women in the casino. They turn out to be - hookers! Not a surprise.
When the guys, bailed out of jail by Zoe (Kristen Bell), seek the secret floor plans to Skywalker Ranch from a Vegas "Deep Throat," William Shatner steps out of the shadows. A surprise, yes, but the joke deflates when the erstwhile Captain Kirk goes off on a verbal bender, bragging "I'm William Shatner! I can score anything!"
Even the running gag in "Fanboys" - an ongoing war between "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" geeks - goes from sublime fun to beating a dead Romulan horse.
Nonetheless, fanboys and fangirls won't be disappointed in this movie, if for nothing else than the impressive cameos, including three by the ubiquitous Seth Rogen.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"Fanboys"</p> <p class="News">Two stars</p> <p class="News"><b>Starring:</b> Sam Huntington, Dan Fogler, Kristen Bell, Chris Marquette, Jay Baruchel</p> <p class="News"><b>Directed by:</b> Kyle Newman</p> <p class="News"><b>Other:</b> A Weinstein Company release. Rated PG-13 for drug use, language, sexual situations. 90 minutes</p>