Fanboys (2009)

About once or twice every year or so, there is a film that comes along where I am completely on the opposite opinion of most other film critics out there. 2011 had Rango, which so many people loved but I thought it was a soulless cash machine. 2010 featured Catfish, Megamind, and Unstoppable, three critical hits, all of which I thought were extremely mediocre. And 2009 has Paranormal Activity (which so many people loved but I consider it one of the worst films of the year), and Fanboys. So many other critics have bagged on this film, and I really enjoyed the heck out of it. Keep in mind that I am a Star Wars fan. Not an insanely huge fan, but a fan none the less. I could answer most of the trivia, and understand most of the gags. There are some moments in the film which played with the characters and pop culture so well that I laughed out loud and were genuinely happy, which is difficult for a film to accomplish. The film follows four Star Wars fans in 1998. One of them has cancer, and is going to die in three to four months. The only problem is, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, arguably the single most anticipated (and disappointing) movie of the late 1990s, is being released in six months. So these people go on a road trip to steal the rough cut. The four dorks are played brilliantly by Sam Huntington (who plays Josh on the American remake of British series Being Human), Jay Baruchel (who is a very prominent rising actor in Hollywood right now), Chris Marquette, and Dan Folger. Also coming along the way is their mutual friend, played by Kristen Bell, also brilliantly. And it features Carrie Fisher, Danny McBride, Billy Dee Williams, Seth Rogen, and William Shatner. And if you can’t fully identify at least one of these people, you probably don’t belong watching this film. This is a film for geek culture. And I am a geek. The film knows what it is like to be a dork, and feels for its characters. And that is what makes the film work. It’s heart is in the right place, and it genuinely made me laugh. So grab your lightsabers, your buddies, and your Darth Vader helmet and geek out with Fanboys.
9/10