The Fanatic Spoiler Review

"Fred Durst didn't just cross the line; he fucking nuked it"

So, I decided to watch this supposed train wreck around 1:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve/Day after listening to the Dead Meat Podcast episode on the film. Let's just say I'm happy I watched this while tired. If you're not sleep-deprived or under the influence, this film will be damn-near unwatchable. This film seriously fails on all levels of film-making.

Let's start off with my positives. I guess "The Fanatic" is competently shot? That's seriously all that I can say when it comes to things this film did even half-way decently. The concept itself isn't terrible; the execution of the ideas is terrible.

I'll start my negatives with the elephant in the room. John Travolta's portrayal of Moose. It's seriously problematic. There's no doubt in my mind that Travolta and director, Fred Durst, did zero research in regard to mental illness. There were absolutely no fucks given in this film. This film seriously thought it was "Joker"; it thought it was thought-provoking. "The Fanatic" was so unintentionally hilarious. I found my self bursting out laughing so many times. Seriously, Moose's first line is "I can't talk long. I got to poop." Besides the obvious problems with Travolta's portrayal of an autistic man, my biggest negative is how mean-spirited this film is. This film is seriously ruthless, not in a good way either. Every character is unnecessarily mean to Moose throughout the film. Whether it's Devin Sawa's character, Hunter Dunbar, or the LA street performers, everyone in the film is an asshole. It's tiring to watch. I felt uncomfortable the entire time while watching the film; not in a good way either. Films like "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hereditary" make you feel uncomfortable in a good way; this film is just simply uncomfortable. The pacing is also god awful. The film is only 88 minutes; Durst still manages to make this film's pacing incredibly odd. He decides to use these weird drawings to split all three acts. It's just lazy, odd film-making.

Let's talk about the batshit-crazy ending to this film. What the fuck?! Seriously what the hell happened? The ending starts off with Moose pulling a John Kramer in Saw, faking a suicide. He then gets up yelling "I'm a good actor!". He then reappears in a Jason mask and stabs Dunbar lightly. How is this film not a parody? I still seriously think that Fred Durst just trolled all of us. I'm pretty sure that he also wanted us to believe that Sawa's Hunter Dunbar got arrested for Moose's actions. Dunbar lets Moose go after blowing off his hand with a shotgun and stabbing out his eye. Moose is then left wandering down an LA strip bleeding everywhere. Later, we see Dunbar is getting arrested for killing his maid (something Moose did). This is how the film ends. I'm not getting into why that makes no sense; it's too obvious. All I have to say is "okay, Fred Durst".

In conclusion, "The Fanatic" is an embarrassing attempt to explore obsessive fandom and mental illness. It's without-a-doubt my least favorite film of 2019. I wouldn't recommend that you pay to view this film. However, grab some friends and drinks and find this film online. It will make this film bearable, given how unintentionally hilarious.

2.5/10