High school friends Eric, Linus, Hutch, Windows, and Zoe were once committed to one another and a shared love of “Star Wars.” As they grew up, Eric grew apart from his friends, focusing instead on working at his father’s car dealership. When they reconnect at a party, Eric learns that one of his close friends has terminal cancer. With the release date for the new “Star Wars” film, “The Phantom Menace,” looming just beyond Linus’s reach; the friends decide to take a trip across the country to steal a copy of the film. Breaking in to George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch will not be easy but the friends are committed to bringing Linus’s final wish to fruition.
The most touching and affective moments in “Fanboys” revolve around how important “Star Wars” is to the dying friend and whether the group will succeed in their plan. This storyline was in serious jeopardy of being cut out of the movie by The Weinstein Company, according to widespread rumor. Supposedly, the studio felt it was too dark for a “light-hearted” parody and would alienate fans. Instead, this was the best part of the movie. The humorous moments throughout the movie are not as effective.
“Fanboys” uses a hit-or-miss strategy with the “Star Wars” heavy jokes. Clunky and unwieldy as a blaster, the jokes rarely hit the mark. The filmmakers blow the opportunity to pan “Star Trek” fandom while promoting the “coolness” of “Star Wars.” Seth Rogan (“Observe & Report”) is wasted in duel roles as a Trekkie and a pimp. He is given little of value to say or do. With so much to poke fun at with both sci-fi fan bases, the humor is not particularly insightful and plays it too safe. Being too close to the subject matter may have caused the writers and director to pull their punches.
When the group of friends finally make it to Skywalker Ranch, the movie shifts gears and becomes what it should have been all along, fast-paced and funny. Dan Fogler (“Good Luck Chuck”) is the most consistently humorous in the film, playing the out-spoken and confrontational Hutch, a character commonplace among almost every group of friends. The other characters are less memorable and unworthy of note. For a true “Star Wars” fan, “Fanboys” will meet your basic need for sci-fi humor but more recent comedic fare like “Role Models” and “17 Again” satirize the culture better. “Spaceballs” continues to reign as the ultimate “Star Wars” parody. “Fanboys” is a good concept that just can’t make the jump to light speed.
Rated PG-13 for pervasive crude and sexual material, language and drug content.
