Fanboys

Fanboys:

Well, here we are finishing up our month of underrated comedies. This particular movie is perhaps the most underrated of the all. It failed to make back even one quarter of its budget at the box office, but it has managed to gain a cult following, even if the crowd is a small one. So, Fanboys… This movie is another fine entry into what I like to call the road trip comedy sub-genre. Some of the more memorable entries in this category include greats like Tommy Boy and Dumb and Dumber. You know the type. They start with some sort of motivation to embark on a journey of a literal kind and over the course of the journey, the protagonist(s) learn valuable life lessons. I don’t know what makes this particular type of comedy so resonant with me personally, but I’ve run across very few road trip comedies that I haven’t enjoyed.

This movie is no exception! So what are its strengths? Well, Fanboys carries its identity well and doesn’t deviate from that identity whatsoever. It’s a goofy comedy about Star Wars fanboys taking a road trip. Like Accepted, there aren’t really any frills. Each scene builds on the plot and moves said plot along nicely. From a music supervision standpoint, it’s got some great stuff going on. The licensed music fits each scenario very well. Oh, did I mention that this is an anachronistic film? That’s kind of important. The movie is supposed to take place roughly six months before the theatrical release of Phantom Menace. Hard to believe that that’s been nearly 20 years ago, but great care is taken to bring the viewer back to that time. The script is solid. The gags are fantastic and range from the “so subtle you just might miss it” to “What?! You missed that?!” There are plenty of jokes to go around and plenty of moments that will have you laughing your butt off. Probably the number one reason to watch this film is the cameos that were worked it. The list reads like a nerd’s wet dream! Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Parks, Seth Rogen, and William Shatner all make appearances in this movie. That’s the short list! Head on over to Wikipedia if you’d like a more comprehensive list.

So all the ingredients of a great movie are there. Why then, is this film sitting on a 57% audience freshness rating? Honestly, I can’t say. I got my copy of the movie as a gift and at first glance, I wasn’t sure that I’d like it very much me being a Trekkie and all. But, the film really stands on its own. It doles out some light ribbing to Star Wars fans and Trekkies alike, but as fans, we need to be able to laugh at ourselves from time to time. It is a simple formula and some may say a tired one, but it’s the simple formulae that stick around the longest. The road trip comedy has been around probably since movies were invented. That might be its greatest weakness. Fanboys didn’t attempt to do anything innovative, or even new because it didn’t have to. It’s not the latest Chris Nolan film trying to push the boundaries of filmmaking. I think some might have perceived that confidence in a trid and true formula as a sign of playing things safe. But in our world of continual and impractical escalation, it’s sometimes refreshing to watch a movie that focuses on doing something that already exists and doing it really well. Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent anything to make a great movie. If you take anything away from the previous month’s reviews, take that. Great movies are made based on how they make you feel and if an off the wall disaster of a movie like, say, BioDome makes you feel good and makes you laugh, then it’s accomplished its goal. That doesn’t mean that I won’t come along and give it a scathing review in the future, but it does me that you should cherish your relationship with that movie. That’s been the crux of all of these comedy reviews. They’re not underrated simply because they were done solidly, they’re underrated because underneath all the negative hype that might turn you away from them, there are movies that have the potential to make your day better. Remember that when I’m spouting negativities about a film. I sincerely hope that you find time to give these underrated gems a try. And as a parting piece of wisdom, I would just like to say, Han Solo is a bitch!

Have a great week and don’t miss out on next week where I’ll be discussing failed Sci-Fi dramas!