Fanboys Review
Fanboys, victim of a troubled production including multiple reshoots, is the story of a gang of geeks (Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler and Jay Baruchel), friends since school, who, after discovering that one of their number has terminal cancer, go on the road to Skywalker Mansion, intent on viewing the rough cut of The Phantom Menace. The year is 1998. Cue much hilarity. Or, a little bit of hilarity.
I am a massive Star Wars fan and have been for years (and, slightly embarrassingly, knew the answer to “What is the name of Chewbacca’s home planet?”) but Fanboys still didn’t really float my boat. The plot is pretty thin, built around situations where a Star Wars quote can be wheeled out and the lack of character development makes it hard to really care about the cancer plot (as harsh as that sounds!). The in-jokes come thick and fast and are often fairly obscure (knowing what a scruffy nerfherder is will help) – I can’t claim to have spotted them all. Sadly it just isn’t enough for a whole film.
It’s not all bad; there’s good chemistry between the four leads, especially when they’re debating the finer points of Star Wars. Kirsten Bell provides some much needed class, whilst still being quirky enough to fit in with the gang (and obviously dons a Princess Leia gold bikini at one point). Seth Rogen plays three roles, one more successfully than the others; his turn as an enemy Trekkie, sorry Trekker, steals all of the scenes he appears in. A comedy fight between the Star Wars fans and Trekkers also provides one of the funniest scenes in the film.
It’s a shame that Fanboys suffers from that scene onwards; it turns into a conventional road movie, even including the well-worn accidental trip to a gay bar. It’s a hit and miss affair, with some genuinely funny moments as our four geeks play off one another quite well, but it feels forced.
Cameos abound (although George Lucas is strangely absent other than a voice at the end of a phone) and include Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Park, William Shatner, Danny Trejo, and Jay and Silent Bob (who speaks!), amongst others. No Mark Hamill though. I would’ve thought he needed the work.
If you’re don’t know or care whether Han or Greedo shot first, then this probably isn’t the film for you as there aren’t enough non-Lucas related gags to sustain it. But if you’ve ever had a conversation with your mates about Luke and Leia’s relationship and that kiss, then it’s probably worth a look.
Oh, and in case you’re interested, the name of Chewie’s home planet is Kashyyyk.
Fanboys is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 4th May from Anchor Bay Entertainment
Emma Wilkin