Fanboys

Fanboysprovides another vanilla entry into the teen road trip comedy canon, following a troop of Jedi-worshipping misfits (including the adorable Kristen Bell) as they travel from rural Ohio to California to break into Skywalker Ranch and preview Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The plot adds a curtailed degree of emotional depth through Linus (Chris Marquette), a cancer patient whose declining state inspires the other characters to grant him one last light saber dual before he passes.

With an experience devoted to mining nostalgia, the writers don’t stop with Jar Jar Binks. Apparently, the ’90s were damn funny, and if you dare forget it, cameos from Chumbawamba, Zima, Menudo and Jason Mewes will be there to remind you at every cut. The rest of the gags don’t innovate past the template of the decade in question, with the teen-comedy renaissance circa American Pie providing as much material as any Han Solo quote.

While the jokes aren’t particularly sharp, the cast adds a lot of heart to making this a poignant experience. Actors Sam Huntington (Eric), Jay Baruchel (Windows), Marquette and Bell form a highly likable group with a natural chemistry for the dorkified subject matter. Watching an impromptu brawl with Star Trek fans might not leave you in stitches, but the congenial awkwardness and emotional resonance from these fanboys make this film a lot stronger with the force than you might expect.