Directed by Fred Durst
Written by Dave Bekerman
Starring John Travolta, Devon Sawa
“You Are A Fan. Without You I’m Nothing”–Hunter Dunbar
From the mind of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst comes The Fanatic, a movie starring John Travolta which has him playing movie-obsessed fan Moose. If you were intrigued by the trailer for this stalker-thriller like I was, then the 90 minutes of two-time Oscar nominee John Travolta is honestly going to be mesmerizing for you. This film got a lot of negative reviews, but for myself I was actually fascinated by the story and more so impressed by the strong performance from Travolta.
The story Durst conjured up is simple; Travolta’s Moose, is a socially awkward man living in the city of stars, Los Angeles. Moose makes his living taking photos with Hollywood Boulevard tourists dressed as a London bobby but Moose’s real passion is horror flicks, especially those starring Hunter Dunbar (Devon Sawa), who is the lead in actor in Moose’s all time favourite films, Space Vampires and Ghost Train. An opportunity arises for Moose to meet his idol when his friend Leah (Ana Golja) a paparazzi photographer, gets him into a lavish Hollywood party. Moose gets his first taste of the Hollywood life, but doesn’t get the chance to meet his idol.
After being kicked out of the Hollywood party for asking for an autograph, Moose finally comes face to face with an angry Hunter Dunbar at a book signing, who leaves him spurned. Moose turns to Leah to help him track down his idol’s home address, a request that spirals into obsession and, finally, violence.
At this point I was quite absorbed by Travolta’s portrayal of Moose. I had never seen any diversity in Travolta’s acting until this point, and he proved to me he’s able to step away from his regular dramatic roles and play a character that requires a lot of commitment. Credit must also be given to Devon Sawa, who was great with the material he was given, and no doubt he’s probably had some crazed fans in his time. The script Durst wrote was reportedly based on a true story, and regardless of how you feel about Limp Bizkit’s songs, one of the biggest bands of the ’90s must have run into a few Mooses of their own.
Travolta delivers an intense performance. All of his most iconic roles – Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction -are dependent on pure magnetism. Somehow he’s able to do the same with the extremely odd and near-inexplicable character of Moose. The Fanatic got its fair share of harsh criticism, and I can’t promise you one of the greatest movies of all time, but I can guarantee you will not be able to look away.
The Australian release date for The Fanatic is yet to be confirmed.
