Director: Fred Durst
Writer: Fred Durst, Dave Bekerman (Screenplay)
Starring: John Travolta, Devon Sawa, Ana Golja, Jacob Grodnik, James Paxton, Josh Richman, Jeff Chase
Plot: A rabid film fan stalks his favorite action hero and destroys the star’s life.
Tagline – All He Wanted Was An Autograph
Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Fanatic starts as we meet horror fanatic Moose (Travolta) who hustles on the street corners for money, while collect film memorabilia and autographs of his favorite stars, with his latest favorite star being Hunter Dunbar (Sawa).
After Moose might finally get to meet Hunter, things end abruptly as Hunter needs to leave, with Moose turning to his paparazzi friend Leah (Golja) to learn where Hunter leaves, crossing the line between fan and stalker.
Thoughts on The Fanatic
Characters – Moose is an autistic man that has an obsessive nature, which will see him collect horror film memorabilia and autographs, he has quite the collection, but what he wants most is Hunter Dunbar’s autograph, when he doesn’t get the autograph, he starts to stalk the actor, turning to breaking into his house, never understanding the lines he has crossed. Hunter Dunbar is an actor that has been in movies, while never seemingly reaching the next level of stardom, he seems more like a cult star more than anything else, he isn’t happy with the invasion of the privacy making it clear to Moose to stay away from his personal life. Leah is Moose’s closest friend, she works as a paparazzi always looking for snaps of the celebrities in Hollywood, she tries to help and advice Moose becoming scared of what he might do.
Performances – John Travolta commits to his role, we never know what he will make his character do next, in what is part uncomfortable and part mesmerizing to see. Devon Sawa turns from the once stalker to the stalked here, showing the pressure of celebrity brings when someone invades the private life. Ana Golja shows us how someone could survive Hollywood in a way that isn’t always the best for the greater good of the area.
Story – The story here shows us how one autistic man can not always understand the line between right and wrong, when it comes to getting closer to a celebrity he worships and shows us what will happen if he crosses the line. This is an interesting story that does put a firm highlight on how the celebrity world can see people going to extreme measures to get what they want, it will show us how fans can cross the lines, but it does it in a way where the fan isn’t fully aware of the lines he has crossed by giving him a mental handicap. This story does border on all sorts of lines, from terrible to genius, it just never manages to fall into either side or committing to trying to go against other movies we might have seen before.
Crime – The crime side of this film comes from seeing just how many lines Moose would cross, showing how stalkers could go too far.
Settings – We use Hollywood as the setting here, seeing the boardwalk where people will try to make money, the celebrity homes and the struggle for the rest in smaller apartments.
Scene of the Movie – Jason here?
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not sure why Hunter doesn’t report the first incident.
Final Thoughts – This is a strange movie that is easily one that could surprise us along the way and could be watched for all the wrong reasons.