Product Summary
Format: DVD
Buy.com Sku: 209085012
UPC: 00796019813525
Item#: V2S9Q6
Buy.com Sales Rank: 17262
Never Tell Them the Odds.
It's 1998 and Star Wars fanboys across the globe eagerly await the release of Episode I. But for Eric, Linus, Hutch and Windows, the term "fanboy" is more than just a title, it's a badge of honor. Spurred by impatience and an undying loyalty to their cause, these former high school friends reunite to undertake the road trip of their fan-tasies. Traveling West across the country to visit their Mecca -- George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch -- the plan is to break in, steal the film and stake their claim as the first fanboys in history to watch it. But to secure their place in the fanboy hall of fame, they'll have to contend with bizarre bikers, a crazy pimp, a deranged group of trekkies and the quiet intensity of William Shatner.
"A hilariously spry effort from an equally unpromising premise. Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"You'd think the weakest link in Fanboys would be that it's all in-jokes, but they're actually not so "in" that a casual fan won't get them. Bob Mondello, NPR
"...has a lot of talent in its margins, including Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Seth Rogen, and other usual suspects. Keith Phipps, The Onion A.V. Club
"There are enough good jokes in "Fanboys," a road comedy about geeks on a "Star Wars"-related quest, to satisfy hard-core fans of that George Lucas franchise. Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times
"What keeps the movie near, if not actually in, hyperdrive is its love of deep-dish geek culture and a gaggle of cameo appearances. Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Editor's Note
STAR WARS zealots, rejoice, for thy movie is at hand: an odyssey across America with a van full of hardcore science-fiction-loving geeks that drop STAR WARS quotes at the drop of a vintage collector's-item Darth Vader helmet. Their mission: to infiltrate Skywalker ranch--or die trying--and heist a pre-release print of THE PHANTOM MENACE. With stops along the way for bad internet dates and general misbehavior (as well as some drama concerning one of the fanboys dying of cancer), their mission becomes a whole STAR WARS-style adventure in itself, their van doubling for the Millennium Falcon plunging through the outer space of the Midwest. There's sci-fi-convention-collectible eye candy, surreal car chases, and moments from the STAR WARS films (such as the trash compactor scene) recreated with loving detail. Dan Fogler (BALLS OF FURY) supplies the hairy guy momentum and Kristen Bell (FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) is surprisingly funny as the requisite way-out-of-their-league hot chick, who just happens to love STAR WARS too (those lucky nerds). The hilarious Seth Rogen shows up in several mangy roles, and there are cameos by Billy Dee Williams (as Judge Reinhold), Carrie Fisher, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Boba Fett, Darth Maul, an actor playing a kung fu version of Aint it Cool's Harry Knowles, and even William Shatner. Kevin Spacey was one of the film's producers.
Cast & Crew
Professional Reviews
Box Office
"FANBOYS sports a clever and knowing screenplay steeped in Galactic Empire minutiae....The script and general approach are non-condescending and often, very funny."
01/23/2009
New York Times
"There are enough good jokes in FANBOYS, a road comedy about geeks on a STAR WARS-related quest, to satisfy hard-core fans of that George Lucas franchise."
02/06/2009
ReelViews 7 of 10
I wish I could be more positive about Fanboys because I understand what the filmmakers are trying to do. Their goal is to provide a Valentine to fanboys and fangirls worldwide - all those who devote themselves to an element of pop culture and often suffer ridicule for their passion. Unfortunately, while Fanboys has moments of success, it is mostly a middling road picture that doesn't do a lot more than any average, forgettable entry into the tired genre...Fanboys is chock-full of references to everything from comic books to television to video games. The Star Wars references are everywhere, with the Star Trek nods being only a little less pervasive. (Surprisingly, there's not a single Doctor Who mention throughout.) It's clear that the men behind Fanboys know their material. The film jokingly and affectionately pokes fun at fanboy culture, sifting through the cliches to build the characters and their circumstances...However, while Fanboys unquestioningly gets the details right, it's not as strong on the broader elements that make a movie a fully satisfying experience. The cancer subplot, which should have added a layer of bittersweet drama to the road trip, is handled in a perfunctory, unconvincing manner. (At first, I thought it was a hoax to get Eric to agree to accompany his buddies on the trip.) The characters are a little too broadly drawn to capture the average viewer's sympathy. And the movie's humor is along the lines of what one might expect from a neutered version of a Harold and Kumar movie. Some will argue that it's worth enduring all this for the cameos, the filmmakers' insider knowledge of what die-hard fandom represents, and the shots of Kristen Bell in the Princess Leia bikini but, in the final analysis, Fanboys doesn't offer enough for me to give it an unqualified recommendation.
- James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 5 of 10
A lot of fans are basically fans of fandom itself. It's all about them. They have mastered the "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" universes or whatever, but their objects of veneration are useful mainly as a backdrop to their own devotion. Anyone who would camp out in a tent on the sidewalk for weeks in order to be first in line for a movie is more into camping on the sidewalk than movies...But enough about my opinions; what about "Fanboys"? Its primary flaw is that it's not critical. It is a celebration of an idiotic lifestyle, and I don't think it knows it. If you want to get in a car and drive to California, fine. So do I. So did Jack Kerouac. But if your first stop involves a rumble at a "Star Trek" convention in Iowa, dude, beam your ass down to Route 66...The movie, set in 1999, involves four "Star Wars" fanatics and, eventually, their gal pal, who have the notion of driving to Marin County, breaking into the Skywalker Ranch, and stealing a copy of a print of "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace" so they can see it before anyone else..."Fanboys" follows in the footsteps of "Sex Drive" by allowing one of its heroes to plan a rendezvous with an Internet sex goddess. To avoid revealing any plot secrets in this film, I will recycle my earlier warning: In a chat room, don't be too hasty to believe Ms. Tasty..."Fanboys" is an amiable but disjointed movie that identifies too closely with its heroes. Poking a little more fun at them would have been a great idea. They are tragically hurtling into a cultural dead end, mastering knowledge which has no purpose other than being mastered, and too smart to be wasting their time. When a movie's opening day finally comes, and fanboys leave their sidewalk tents for a mad dash into the theater, I wonder who retrieves their tents, sleeping bags, portable heaters and iPod speakers. Warning: Mom isn't always going to be there to clean up after you.
- Roger Ebert
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