By Robert Scucci
| Published
John Travolta with a Captain Kangaroo haircut dressed like a British bobby stalking Devon Sawa in a film written and directed by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst. If you need to take a deep breath and reread that sentence, I don’t blame you because you’re going to need all of the mental preparation you can get before streaming 2019’s The Fanatic. An uncomfortable but unintentionally hilarious exploration of parasocial relationships, The Fanatic is a pretty one-note film with … questionable performances that don’t feel like they exist in the real world.
But if you’re willing to take a brief detour to this slightly askew, alternate present day that Fred Durst unleashed from his imagination, then you’re in for a wild ride full of stalking, strawberry milkshakes, a fantasy world taking over a crazed fan’s entire being, and John Travolta saying that he can’t talk long because he “has to poo.”
Devon Sawa Gets Reverse Stanned
The Fanatic has been compared to films like The Fan and Paparazzi for similarly taking a look at the damaging effects of parasocial relationships, but the most apt, somewhat modern comparison I could think of involves Eminem’s “Stan” music video, in which Devon Sawa portrayed a crazed fan taking extreme measures to feel seen and heard by his favorite rapper. In a total role reversal, Hunter Dunbar is on the receiving end of Moose’s obsessive machinations, and the irony was not lost on me because it seems like a deliberate casting choice on Durst’s part.
Sincere in his superfandom to a fault, Moose is a sympathetic character in The Fanatic because he’s on the autism spectrum, living on his own in Los Angeles, and occupies a fantasy world that celebrates the life and career of Hunter Dunbar, his favorite horror and action movie star. Spending all of his meager earnings as a street performer on movie memorabilia, Moose lives a simple life– one that is made bearable by the company that Hunter’s films provide him.
When Moose is finally given a chance to meet his hero at a book signing, Hunter is short with him, which leaves a bad taste in his mouth because not only did he fail to obtain an autograph, Hunter was unnecessarily rude.
Hunter Dunbar can also be seen as a sympathetic character in The Fanatic, as Moose simply caught him on a bad day– he’s dealing with the kind of stress that a recently separated but extremely busy movie star faces, as he shares custody of his son with his ex-wife, Brenda (Jessica Uberuaga), and has issues with insomnia from the stress of it all. Add a stalking situation to the equation, and you’re gonna have a bad time.
Sometimes Friends Steer You In the Wrong Direction
Moose’s best friend in The Fanatic, Leah (Ana Golja), a paparazzi photographer, makes a profoundly misguided judgment call when she informs him of an app that lists the addresses of celebrities living in the Los Angeles area. I’ll bet you’re wondering, “what could possibly go wrong if a guy like Moose gets Hunter Dunbar’s address?” and it goes exactly how you’d expect. In multiple scenes reminiscent of Robin Williams’ performance in One Hour Photo, Moose makes his way into Hunter’s residence to get the lay of the land, see how his hero lives when he’s not on the big screen, and to use his toothbrush and raid his fridge for snacks.
Spoiler alert: Hunter Dunbar doesn’t have any strawberry ice cream, which enrages Moose.
When Hunter Dunbar falls asleep after taking his insomnia medication, Moose takes selfies with him and uploads them to his social media accounts, not realizing how insane his behavior is because he’s exactly where he wants to be in life.
Difficult To Watch But Absolutely Entertaining
At the end of the day, The Fanatic is derivative, one-dimensional, and leaves very little to the imagination as far as its narrative structure goes. However, I have to give John Travolta props for fully committing to the role of Moose because he never once breaks character, which is commendable– especially when you see him in his British officer getup practicing his accent for his street performances while wearing a comically large fake mustache.
While the first thought you may have while watching The Fanatic is, “real people don’t act like this,” it’s actually to the film’s benefit because despite the fact that it’s inspired by real-life, first-hand experiences Fred Durst actually had with obsessed fans, it’s pretty hilarious to watch. Not a single character learns from their mistakes, or experiences the necessary moments of introspection that will allow them to look at their situations critically. If this was by design, then bravo… but if it was just an unfortunate consequence of the writing and direction, it’s still at the very least an interesting watch.
But if there’s one reason to sit down and watch The Fanatic on Tubi, it’s for the scene where Devon Sawa’s Hunter Dunbar is blasting Limp Bizkit in his car, drumming on the steering wheel, and telling his son how great their music is because it looks like he’s (Devon Sawa, not his character) dying on the inside for having to utter that line out loud. If this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, then you might want to sit this one out.
