Fanboys (PG-13) ★★★

The comic Force is with Fanboys, a hilarious and heartwarming film about the wondrous power of movies that last a lifetime.

Story

Eric, Windows, Hutch , Zoe and Linus are the very definition of Fanboy -- five lifelong friends who live for everything George Lucas dishes out, at least when it comes to Star Wars. Realizing that the suddenly ill Linus may not live long enough to see the upcoming Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace , the gang sets out on a long dreamed-of adventure: criss-crossing the country to go and break into Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in Northern California. Their amended goal now is to try and steal a print of the unfinished movie for Linus to see before it's too late.

Acting

Fanboys has been lovingly cast with a promising group of young actors who instantly get the wit and charm of a smart and funny screenplay that is tailor-made for the inner-Jedi in all of us. As Linus, the heart of the film, Chris Marquette perfectly captures the obsessive , never-give-up nature of a devoted Star Wars freak. Equally fine are Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder) as Windows, Sam Huntington as schemer Eric and paunchy and funny Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury) as Hutch, whose van is used to get to their golden destination. Also along for the ride is Kristen Bell as Zoe, the lone girl in the group who apparently loves this stuff as much as the boys. She provides a nice, welcome diversion. Showing up in cameos are Seth Rogen and a raft of Star Wars figures, including Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams. Even Star Trek's William Shatner makes a brief , amusing appearance.

Direction

Director Kyle Newman wrapped Fanboys in 2006 only to have the studio take it back, have it partially reshot to remove the cancer subplot and then see it trashed on the Internet by real-life Fan boys offended by the studio tinkering. Newman was brought back in and recut the film to its original state, and its a good thing. Fanboys is a blast ,a sweet surprise for the new year –a wise tribute to obsessive sci-fi fans everywhere.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.