The Fanatic

John Travolta incarne Moose, un cinéphile obnubilé par la collection d’autographes. Que Moose ait « un » grain saute aux yeux : il est complètement égocentrique, compulsif, irrationnel, il se balance, a une tendance au stalking et souffre de narcolepsie. J’écris « un » entre guillemets parce qu’on dirait que le réalisateur-scénariste a voulu représenter l’individu mentalement dérangé en utilisant absolument toutes les caractéristiques qui lui venaient à l’esprit sur le moment. Le scénario ne s’intéresse donc pas du tout à l’état psychologique du protagoniste central et se contente de décrire, par le biais de l’inutile voix off d’un des personnages secondaires et de manière superficielle, l’enchaînement d’événements qui mènent à une tragédie de dimension presque antique (ou que Fred Durst s’efforce de transmettre sous cette forme). Moi, je me demande vraiment ce que le leader de Limp Bizkit a voulu dire avec ce film et s’il avait le moindre objectif concret. À part peut-être pour le fait que Durst se serve d’une scène comme pub criante pour son groupe, le tableau général paraît assez insensé. Comme on peut s’y attendre, la réalisation et le scénario sont un chaos sans queue ni tête qui, pour certains, sera médiocre au point d’en être drôle. Mais le véritable « guilty pleasure », c’est Travolta. En le regardant jouer, on voit un type de soixante-cinq ans qui joue à l’enfant attardé. Ce n’est pas quelque chose qui est plaisant à voir, mais on se surprend malgré tout à vouloir le regarder jusqu’au bout. Je souhaite de tout cœur un comeback de John Travolta, mais dans ce cas, il n’a pas choisi la bonne voie ! (28/09/2019)

Fred Durst might be a notable figure in the music world, but his foray into filmmaking leaves much to be desired. The Fanatic stars John Travolta as a wildly obsessive fan with a bizarre mullet and seemingly autistic traits. Travolta’s portrayal feels off, leaving viewers unsure whether to pity him or see him as a fool. The film takes everything to an extreme, making it hard to gauge what’s based on reality. (04/01/2024)

Devon Sawa evaded an inescapable fate for two decades, only to have his godmother finally send the possessed car to him, driven by Travolta. His performance, body language, and schoolboy dress code are meant to evoke sympathy, but it doesn’t work, even if you pit him against Troy McClure. Johnny, with that Bundesliga haircut, pushes things too hard; in the realm of psychological drama, it’s barren and pointless. Durst fares much better when he’s in his red cap delivering lines like, “Hot mommas, pimp daddies, and the people rolling up in caddies.” (22/03/2024)

The biggest issue with this film is that it was written and directed by Fred Durst. Every year, he seems to stray further from the mark, and the pinnacle of his absurdity is the scene where Devon Sawa's character enthusiastically plays some Limp Bizkit garbage in his car. Unlike Rob Zombie, who makes quality music and films, Durst seems to be an egomaniac without the talent to back it up. Zombie's films are leagues ahead in quality. Durst, on the other hand, creates terrible music and now terrible films. I never thought he’d direct again, but after many years, he came back, and we all collectively facepalmed. His debut, The Education of Charlie Banks, was decent, but that’s likely because he only directed it and didn’t write the script. Whenever he has complete creative control, it’s a disaster. There was potential in The Fanatic’s premise, but it needed a more talented director to bring it to life. Instead, Durst created an unconvincing, caricature of a character that leaves you unsure whether to pity or despise him. At times, it even feels like Durst is mocking people with mental illness. Despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews, I expected worse. Yes, it's a bad movie, but it's not excruciating to watch. Don’t expect to be entertained all the way through. It picks up slightly towards the end, but there aren’t many WTF moments. Only watch this if you’re curious to see John Travolta play an obsessed, mentally challenged movie fan. Otherwise, steer clear! (10/06/2020)