I watched this the other night on the suggestion of GJ (who has proven himself a reliable source of quality recos lately...). It's a feel-good comedy about four Star Wars "fanboys" who set out on a quixotic mission to break into George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in order to get hold of Episode One six months before its official release (the film is set in 1998). The poignant, though highly contrived, motivation for this unlikely escapade is that one of the group (Linus, played by Chris Marquette) has terminal cancer and won't live to see the film's release. There are sub-plots about the re-connecting of Linus with his former best friend Eric Bottler (Sam Huntington) and Eric subsequently re-evaluating what's important in life (this affirmation of nerd values seems to be a rising theme as my generation reaches film-making age...).
There are plenty of Star Wars references and gags that had me laughing pretty much the whole way through. I had a good stab at some of the quizzes (but I'm afraid I couldn't recall the name of Chewbacca's home planet in time!). There are also nice cameos from a few Star Wars actors -- Ray Park as a baton-wielding, side-twisting security guard at the Skywalker Ranch was particularly cool. It may not be for everyone, but I'd be surprised if any fan of the original movies didn't enjoy this one.
BOTTOM LINE: Think "The Hangover" meets "King of Kong". A must-see for aging Star Wars buffs and fans of cheddar cheese road-trip comedy.
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