TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA LA-VOLTA: THE FANATIC (2019) ** ½

I can’t say The Fanatic is a good movie, but it’s certainly better than you’d expect a film directed by Fred Durst, the lead singer of Limp Bizkit, to be.  You know you’re in for something special from the very first scene.  John Travolta’s character, Moose bursts into his favorite comic book shop and announces, “I can’t talk too long. I got to poo.”  Walking with a stoop, condemned with a terrible bowl cut, burdened with an overstuffed backpack, and wearing oversized glasses. Moose is a sight to behold.  He obviously has a lot of issues (and I’m not talking about comic books either).  He’s most certainly on the spectrum… somewhere.  He’s definitely one of the most memorable characters I’ve seen in a long time.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that this is a tour de force performance.  Travolta goes to 11 on this one.  Possibly 11 ½.  Remember when he was in Face/Off with Nicolas Cage?  Well, there are times in The Fanatic where you’ll swear it’s Nic Cage playing the role, only he’s wearing John Travolta’s face.  Yes, folks, he’s that over the top.

Anyway, Moose becomes obsessed with his favorite actor, Hunter Dunbar, played by Devon Sawa.  When he brushes Moose off at an autograph signing, he immediately takes to stalking Dunbar.  Eventually, Moose holds Hunter hostage in his own home in an effort to become best buds with his object of obsession. 

There are moments here that echo both Taxi Driver and Maniac.  (There’s even a scene where Travolta namedrops both Maniac and its remake into causal conversation.)  Of course, the movie never achieves the heights of those films.  I can’t say The Fanatic is good exactly, but it’s hard to completely dismiss.  I mean, Travolta’s performance alone is enough to make it worth seeing. 

The problem is that neither Moose nor Hunter are characters we ultimately care about.  Durst never bothers to make Hunter a real flesh and blood person and Moose is nothing more than a force of nature.  Neither men are sympathetic, and we never wind up rooting for either of them.  The ending is also quite unpleasant, although not entirely without merit.

Still, how can you overlook a movie that features a scene where John Travolta dresses up as Jason Vorhees?  Or has him re-enact the “Stuck in the Middle with You” sequence from Reservoir Dogs?  Or contains a bit where Sawa plays Limp Bizkit?  I mean, I’m not even a fan of Durst’s music, but I have to congratulate that kind of gall.  

For good or ill, The Fanatic is a movie we’ll be talking about for years to come. 

That concludes Tra-La-La-La-La La-Volta for the month.  Happy Holidays everybody!