Savage Popcorn

According to the IMDB page, Fanboys is the story of a group of Star Wars fans who travel to George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch to steal an early copy of The Phantom Menace for their dying friend. I have to admit that this isn’t a film that appeals to me at all – we have some kid dying of cancer and a bunch of friends that think the best thing they can do for him is get hold of an early copy of The Phantom Menace. The film sounds like a badly thought through nostalgia-fest made for those few people so wrapped up in everything Lucas that they aren’t going to recognise any criticism of this ill-conceived prequel.

However, as Cinematical (via) reports, the approach of the Weinstein Company to the film is nothing short of bizarre.

The “dying of cancer” storyline was completely dumped, and, instead, the fanboys are now trying to sneak a copy of Phantom Menace simply because they’re fans and want to see it.

Admittedly, I think that having a protagonist whose dying of cancer is a horrendously bad idea in a film such as this but “trying to sneak a copy of Phantom Menace simply because they’re fans” is just sad. But there’s more.

Kyle Newman, the original director, has been replaced by Steven Brill, who brought us such treats as Little Nicky and Without a Paddle. Brill has reshot and recut the film and the story is now being described as “disjointed, nonsensical and lacking any heart.” No surprises there, then.

Here’s where it gets bizarre. Both the Newman and the Brill versions were screened for test audiences - and the new version only tested two points higher than the old version. But it is alleged that the Weinsteins were so desperate to justify forking out an extra $2 million on reshooting the film that they included plants in the audience in order to skew the test screening numbers in favour of the Brill version. And they only managed a two point improvement.

The rights and wrongs of test screenings is a whole separate discussion – my own view is that their appropriateness depends on the film – but to try to fix the results beggars belief. Either have a test screening or don’t. Dictate the film to your director or let him make the film he wants to make. Or compromise. But for the producers of the film to impose their ideas and then seek to mislead themselves in order to justify their actions makes you wonder who they are trying to fool.

There was a time (about fifteen years ago) when the Weinstein brothers were finding, producing and promoting some fantastic films. Those days are long gone and increasingly unlikely to return.

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