Fanboys MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +1 Content: -4

Sam Huntington, Christopher Marquette, Dan Fogler, Kristen Bell, Seth Rogen. Comedy/action/drama. Written by Adam F. Goldberg, Ernest Cline. Directed by Kyle Newman.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Four extreme Star Wars fans and childhood friends drive across America to Skywalker Ranch in order to sneak a peek at the yet unreleased Episode 1: Phantom Menace as one last hoorah for their dying friend.

PREVIEW REVIEW: I laughed a few times at this road trip for slacker geeks, but found most of the journey detoured with adolescent humor – and by adolescent humor, I mean crude and lazy. The plot does a cameo, but the filmmakers attempt to give their movie credence with the addition of a stable of sudden, brief appearances by several film stars, ranging from William Shatner to Carrie Fisher to Seth Rogen. There are lots of sexual innuendos. Lots of jokes about losers living with their mothers. Lots of gay jokes. And even some bathroom humor – and by bathroom humor, I mean the graphic discussions of bowel movements.

Admittedly, there’s a sweet, rather uplifting ending. But it’s a long trip getting there.

DVD Alternatives with road trip themes: America’s Heart & Soul (2004). Filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg packed up his camera and hit the road, with a goal of capturing both the unparalleled beauty of the U.S. and the incomparable spirit of its people. Here you have the chance to meet ordinary Americans with extraordinary stories. Schwartzberg’s gift is his ability to connect with people, honestly capturing their values, dreams, and passion. America’s Heart And Soul is a celebration of a nation told through the voices of its people.

Road To Morocco. My favorite of the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby series has Bing selling Hope to a slave-trader. Great gags and asides to the viewers.

The Straight Story. Filmed along the 260-mile route that the actual Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) traversed in 1994 from Laurens, Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin, The Straight Story chronicles Alvin’s patient odyssey and those he meets along the way. Alvin encounters a number of strangers, from a teenage runaway to a fellow WWII veteran. By sharing his life’s earned wisdom with simple stories, Alvin has a profound impact on these people. It contains lessons about the importance of family and forgiveness. Caution, though it is rated G, the film contains the following: a few expletives, one misuse of God’s name and one misuse of Jesus’ name; many of the main characters smoke; occasional beer drinking; the lead drinks a beer himself, but the film explains why many people use alcohol as a crutch.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: MGM