Fanboys (2009)

Star Wars fanatics take a cross-country trip to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch so their dying friend can see a screening of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) before its release.

Director:

Kyle Newman

Writers:

Ernest Cline (screenplay), Adam F. Goldberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Huntington	...	Eric
Chris Marquette	...	Linus
Dan Fogler	...	Hutch
Jay Baruchel	...	Windows
Kristen Bell	...	Zoe
David Denman	...	Chaz
Christopher McDonald	...	Big Chuck (as Chris McDonald)
Charlie B. Brown	...	Myron
Isaac Kappy	...	Garfunkel
Stephen Pina	...	Simon
Seth Rogen	...	Admiral Seasholtz / Alien / Roach
Tarek Bishara	...	The Vulcan / Gruvock (as Thom Bishops)
Clark Sanchez	...	Bartender
Stanley Shunkamolah	...	Thick-Necked Thug
Danny Trejo	...	The Chief

Storyline

Star Wars fanatics take a cross-country trip to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch so their dying friend can see a screening of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) before its release.

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Plot Keywords:

star wars fan film | blonde | princess lela bikini | prostitution | girl in panties | 

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Taglines:

In 1998, five friends stole their way into history.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for pervasive crude and sexual material, language and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official MySpace Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 2009 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

Fanboys - Rajongók háborúja

Filming Locations:

Belen, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$171,533, 8 February 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$688,529

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$960,828

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Weinstein Company, Trigger Street Productions, Picture Machine

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The passenger side door of the van has the word "fanboys" written on it in the "Star Wars" Aurebesh alphabet and mirrored.

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Goofs

The diner scene takes place at night as seen clearly through the windows and when they leave. Windows states they have to meet Rogue Leader at the Java the Hut coffee shop at Wednesday 3pm sharp. Eric then says they have 26 hours to get to Texas, placing the conversation at 1pm during the day - not at night.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hutch: [as Stormtrooper] Halloween just got awesome, bitches!
Linus: [as Stormtrooper] Prepare for the entrance of Lord Vader.
Windows: [as Darth Vader] Give yourself to the Dark Side. It's the only way you can save your...

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Crazy Credits

The Weinstein Company logo is backed by light saber sound effects.

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Connections

Featured in Star Wars Spoofs (2011)

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Soundtracks

On A Star
Written By Steven Stern and Ted Greenberg

User Reviews

The Force is Strong with this one.

"Fanboys" is a movie about, well, fanboys. Four childhood friends make a pact on Halloween night in 1998 to infiltrate the Skywalker Ranch in hopes of catching a rough cut of the long-awaited "Star Wars" prequel, "The Phantom Menace." Together in a geeked-out van, armed with dozens of Rush cassette tapes, they make a cross-country trip where they battle with angry Trekkies ("Star Trek" fans, for the uninitiated), stumble into an "all-male" bar, evade an angry pimp and land in jail, while one of their own attempts to make peace with his fate.

The film was pushed back for so long and re-edited so much (re-shoots were done by hack director Steven Brill, which thankfully were dumped from the final product, as directed by Kyle Newman) that it's easy to let the problems that plagued "Fanboys" overshadow the movie. What the movie delivers, though, is an often hilarious, sometimes sentimental and utterly geeky send-up of geek culture. A valentine to "Star Wars" fans, perhaps, it's a film that pokes fun at its core audience without alienating it. There's a wealth of cameos , too, from the likes of William Shatner, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and three (count 'em, three) roles featuring Seth Rogen. If one thing can be said about the film, it's never a bore.

Sure, the road-trip formula has been used many times before, and yes, the film rarely breaks from the expected, but its subplot revolving around a sick friend keeps it from being just some raunchy teen comedy with a geeky twist. "Fanboys" has heart, and combined with a solid young cast and hundreds of "Star Wars" and other nerdy references, makes it a film worth returning to again and again.