By Trent Griffiths
2009’s Fanboys is a joyously sentimental celebration of the phenomenon of Star Wars, and still has enough knowing warmth to entertain even the staunchest sci-fi cynic. That’s no mean feat given how easily a film about fan culture could have slid into a trainspotting exercise, and how long it took to get to the big screen. Originally conceived as an indie tribute to coincide with the release of Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace, online interest in Fanboys reached fever pitch and brought the studios knocking. After the rights were sold to The Weinstein Company, devoted fans were incensed with news that the producers planned on reworking the film to have more mainstream appeal. After threats to boycott the studio and crash their web servers, the producers relented and reinstated the original plot.
It’s ironic then that Fanboys is vintage Hollywood. Born of a genuine love of cinematic sci-fi, the finished film looks remarkably like a teen road movie. The titillating objective in films like The Sure Thing and Road Trip is simply replaced in Fanboys with seeing a pre-release copy of The Phantom Menace. The determination of four childhood friends (Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Jay Baruchel) to see a sci-fi movie might be foreign to some, but the journey of self-discovery through misadventure is unmistakable.
At times the structure labours, but ultimately Fanboys rises above routine Hollywood fare because it never makes fun of the people it represents. It’s self-conscious, heavy on references, and plays up the negative perceptions of sci-fi nerds, but only ever shows genuine affection for their world. It also features cameos from original Star Wars cast members, as well as Star Trek’s William Shatner. While the diehard fan boys (and girls) will revel in the homage to their unique obsession, Fanboys has enough heart to appeal to everyone.
