05/09/09 - Fanboys

Fanboys (2008, 90 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489049/

A movie that somewhat flew under the radar in 2008, Fanboys didn't seem to get much publicity, even though it had some name-list stars. I have no explanation for this.

The movie follows a group of friends: Eric (Sam Huntington), Hutch (Dan Fogler) and Windows (Jay Baruchel) as they try to get their friend Linus (Chris Marquette) to see Star Wars: Episode I before it's released. Linus, suffering from cancer, won't make the true release date for the movie. Kristen Bell plays Zoe who also comes along for the road trip about halfway through.

The thing that I was most surprised about in this movie was how well it pays homage to the other Star Wars movies. Sure, it makes the group out to be bumbling buffoons at times, but the respect it pays the franchise is very well done. Including Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams in cameo roles was also a nice touch. However, the nods to the series are most of the time subtle, usually in lines from the films. "I've got a bad feeling about this" or "I love you." "I know." are popular lines from the movies but not as recognizable as "Use the Force" or something like that. These subtle inclusions make the movie much more enjoyable. Without them, the movie would, honestly, be pretty boring and disappointing as the main group is somewhat unlikable.

The acting itself is definitely not top-notch. I'm not a real big fan of Dan Fogler after seeing him in Balls of Fury and he doesn't do much to impress me here, either. Jay Caruchel is typecast as the nerd character and I've seen him do that role so many times, his acting didn't impress me either. The two "main" characters in the group are Sam Huntington's character Eric and Chris Marquett'e character Linus. Both actors do an above average job but nothing incredibly amazing either. Eric is pretty annoying at times, to be honest and Linus doesn't really do much in most of the scenes.

Overall, I gave this film a 5/10. It was fun and enjoyable due to the nods to the franchise. It also had a great ending in not passing judgment on Episode I. We have no idea what any of these fans thought of the movie and I think that's exactly how it should've ended.