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Fanboys Review

Movies.com Critics

2.0

Dave White Profile

They hope "Phantom Menace" doesn't suck. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 3.0
    45

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Mixed or average reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 38

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • 40

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

    Given how insultingly fanboys are portrayed, even the fan base could be put off.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times

    Fanboys doesn't have a fan's obsessive attention to detail, or the giddy geekiness that can make Tarantino's movies both thrilling and trying. It's not nearly nerdy enough.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    The New York Times Neil Genzlinger

    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. But the film doesn't have the boosters, or thrusters, or whatever, to elevate it to more ambitious heights; it's weighed down by tired conventions and a general sense of having missed its moment.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    Variety

    End result feels like an uneven cross between an amateur "Project Greenlight" pic and such recent comedies as "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express," in which indie directors brought a certain edge to material that might once have felt more at home under the National Lampoon label.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

    A genial, sloppy, minor affair, offering a smidgen of inside baseball, which includes a gag at the expense of the forgotten, late '80s Lucas-produced epic "Willow."

    Read Full Review

  • 58

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Mildly cute, mildly drooly, majorly too late spoof/homage.

    Read Full Review

  • 63

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    Delayed a couple of years, shown to fans at conventions and retooled, Fanboys is an uneven and largely predictable adventure, but it has its moments.

    Read Full Review

  • 63

    out of 100

    ReelViews James Berardinelli

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • See all Fanboys reviews at Metacritic.com

For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 15+

The Force isn't with crude story of fandom and friendship.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this Star Wars-centered comedy really pushes the limits for PG-13, with lots of swearing (including "f--k" and "s--t"), drinking, smoking, and sexual content (particularly discussions of sex and sex acts, though naked butts are also shown). That said, under all the rude and crude comedy is a message about friendship and believing in something.

  • Families can talk about why they think this movie was rated PG-13 instead of R. Does it seem that different from other crude comedies that did earn R ratings? If so, how?
  • Discuss the overall cultural impact -- for good and for ill -- of Star Wars.
  • How have George Lucas' films changed how we watch movies? How have they affected what kids of movies get made?
  • What happens when someone's love for a piece of pop culture goes a little too far?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: There's a message about friendship hiding here (the lead characters are willing to do anything for a terminally ill friend), but it's overshadowed by plenty of iffy stuff. On the up side, a real, sincere relationship blossoms between two of the leads -- in contrast to less meaningful dalliances and attractions -- but women are also fairly marginalized characters overall.

  • rolemodels true0

    Role models: Charcters partipcate in a break-in (it's well-intentioned, but...), and there's lots of bathroom humor.

What to watch for
  • violence false3

    Violence: Comedic scuffling and flailing, mostly ineffectual and inept. Some mock-martial arts action and weapons violence (quarterstaff combat, science-fiction replica weapons), all for comedic effect. A man is hurled from a van; a van drives toward people on foot.

  • sex false3

    Sex: Nude buttocks, both male and female, are shown as passersby are "mooned"; other implied nudity. Sexual situations (kissing, etc) -- both in the context of a relationship and with young women who turn out to be escorts. A young man meets face-to-face with his "cyber girlfriend," only to discoverthat she's approximately 10 years old ("I'm a pedophile," he shrieks). Many digressions about sex, sex acts, sexual conduct, and sexual prowess. A gay bar is depicted as a den of iniquity. A joke revolves around male homosexual prostitution.

  • language false4

    Language: Lots of strong language, including "f--k," "bitches," "fag" (as an insult), "s--t," "Jesus Murphy" (as an exclamation), "cornhole," "man package," "penis," "dickhead," "a--hole," "pimp-slap," "whores," "dips--t," and much, much more. "The finger" is given.

  • consumerism false4

    Consumerism: The entire film revolves around a group's quest to see Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace prior to its release; the movie is a constant series of references to the fantasy-world myths and real-world genesis of the Star Wars saga. Other brands mentioned or shown include Star Trek; iPhone; Palm Pilot; The Rocketeer; Top Gun; Paramount/Viacom; Lucasfilm; Six Days, Seven Nights; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Batman; Priceline; and many more.

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false4

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink beer and hard liquor to excess; scenes take place in bars. Characters smoke cigars and cigarettes and are given Peyote-laced guacamole; a terminally ill character is given a large amount of Peyote. Prescription drugs are administered by a physician.

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