Fanboys (PG-13, 2009)

common sense media says

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


parents & educators say
  • 71% say sexual content is an issue
  • 71% say language is an issue

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.

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

More on Fanboys

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • 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?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In 1998, with the long-awaited Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace still a year from release, three friends obsess about how much they're looking forward to the film. At first, Eric (Sam Huntington), who "outgrew" Star Wars and his friends long ago, mocks their passion. But then Hutch (Dan Fogler) and Windows (Jay Baruchel) explain that Linus (Christopher Marquette), Eric's oldest friend, has cancer and won't survive until the film debuts. Inspired, Eric joins the other three in an ill-thought-out plan to drive from Ohio to California, break into the Lucasfilm compound, and steal the film so Linus can see it before he dies.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Featuring plenty of in jokes and cameos (Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher both appear), FANBOYS is, like the behavior it chronicles, a triumph of passion over judgment. The idea of anyone being excited by the prospect of seeing Phantom Meance now kind of seems like a joke, and director Kyle Newman has minimal interest in asking his actors to actually shape a scene or portray an authentic character (that Marquette and Huntington are believable as separated old friends says more about their charm and skill than it does about the script).

Fanboys has a certain amount of kindness under the surface, but that surface is studded with bathroom humor, unfunny gags, cruel caricatures, and a boys' club attitude that makes women irrelevant (with the exception of Kristen Bell's just-one-of-the-dudes nerdy-hottie, who gets to realize her crush on one of the four -- which is in itself a weird, sexist form of wish fulfillment). Newman seems to be inspired by the pop culture zing and crude zest of Kevin Smith; hard as it is to imagine, Newman could take lessons from the smarts and heart Smith has hidden under the swearing and name-checking in his best scripts.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Weinstein Co.
Director: Kyle Newman
Cast: Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release: February 6, 2009
DVD release: May 19, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: pervasive crude and sexual material, language and drug content
Watch our review

This review was written by James Rocchi
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 7 parent & educator reviews:
  • 71% say sexual content is an issue
  • 71% say language is an issue
  • 29% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking
  • 29% say they noticed product placement

Most useful reviews by all members

sagem
parent of 7 and 9 year old
 

LINDSEY76
parent of 4 year old
 
this movie should be rated r

Jenoi
parent of 12 year old
 
Too crude for tweens.
My son is 11 and a huge Star Wars fan, I thought he might get a kick out of this. Fortunately I viewed it first and decided it wasn't age-appropriate for an 11-year-old. It's too crude and it wasn't that funny anyway, so he's not missing out on anything.

 
Great movie
Really funny, all star wars fans will love this. Although, this movie might not be right for those under 13.

MommaZ
parent of 1 and 8 year old
 
I guess I used to be a "fangirl" and I really enjoyed this in an adolescent way - but I would NEVER let my kids see it!! Rude, crude, ridiculous and funny for a Star Wars fan. Kids wouldn't enjoy it anyway - and don't expose them. If you are looking for a middle-of-the-night kid of indulgence, go for it

masterchief117
kid, 12 years old
 
don't be so hard on this movie!!
i thought it was funny and csm is very wrong. the language is moderate and theres only 1 f-word and it sounds more like ahhhh the s-word is said under 10 times with other things like f*g and d**k and other stuff like jesus and b***h. some mild comidic violence lncluding a fight between the star wars fans and the star trek fans. theres another fight but no one is hurt. a man moons someone later a woman moons someone. some rude and sexual remarks mostly at the end like the quiz and some other things along the way. a funny movie but for people around 13+.

 
funny comedy movie, not for young kids though
I liked this movie and thought it was really funny. There is some sexual material and language though. If your kids already know stuff like that then no worrie what so ever.

30bla30
teen, 15 years old
 
There is a part where a girl remove her shirt on the highway in a car. A girl removes her bra and shirt in a comic store. One guy has only " one ball"

Spielberg00
teen, 14 years old
 
Really dumb.
My rating: PG-13 [borderline with R] for frequent language, crude humor including sexual references, some comic violence, and for a brief image of partial nudity. Violence: 2.5/5 - A few scenes of violence (i.e. ripping Spock's ear off), but it's all played for laughs (that aren't elicited). Sex: 3/5 - Infrequent, but very crude references. The strongest it gets is a man trying to use a "Jedi mind trick" to make a woman take her shirt off in a comic book store. With her back to him, she takes her shirt off and flashes another man, and for a second or two, we see everything except TRUE nudity (covered by the check-out counter). Language: 4/5 - There are only one or two uses of "f--k", but the swearing is near-constant, pretty strong, and even irritating. Includes "R2-d--khead", "dips--t", "w--re", "b--ch", "f-g", and various anatomical references.

butt master
kid, 12 years old
 
great but sad
very good bud csm was right about this one WARNING:VERY VERY SAD (spoiler alert! 1 of the main charachters dies)

leahxo
teen, 15 years old
 
Lousy.
Just another flop film-nothing worthy of watching. Clearly promoting Star Trek and Star Wars. I don't advise anyone under 14 to watch it, or anyone at all for that matter. Yawn.

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
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