The Fanatic (film)

The Fanatic is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed and co-written by Fred Durst. It stars John Travolta as Moose, an autistic man who develops an unhealthy obsession with his favorite actor Hunter Dunbar (Devon Sawa) and stalks him. The film was given a limited theatrical and a VOD release, on August 30, 2019 by Quiver Distribution and Redbox Entertainment, and received mainly negative reviews, with some praise towards Travolta's performance.

Plot
Moose is a man with autism who works as a street performer on Hollywood Boulevard. An avid film buff, Moose fills his apartment with memorabilia from various movies, including those of cult movie star Hunter Dunbar, with whom he has developed an unhealthy parasocial obsession. When Moose finally gets an opportunity to meet him and get an autograph, he loses his chance when Dunbar's ex-wife abruptly arrives and starts an argument. As Dunbar storms away, Moose follows him begging for an autograph, only for Dunbar to rudely accost him.

Later Moose's friend, a young paparazzi named Leah, shows Moose a mobile app that publishes the home addresses of famous celebrities, including Dunbar. Moose goes to Dunbar's house and tries to give him a letter while also begging him for an autograph. Dunbar, fearing for his young son's safety around Moose, tells him to stay out of their neighborhood, all the while reluctantly signing Moose’s shirt as an autograph. Moose comes back again and climbs a fence, but is scared off by Dunbar's housekeeper. Despondent, Moose gets into an argument with Leah and then physically attacks Todd, a crude fellow performer who had earlier harassed him.

Moose returns to Dunbar's home and is once again confronted by Dunbar's housekeeper. When she attacks him, he pushes her away, inadvertently causing her to fall and strike her head on a stone fountain, killing her. He sneaks into Dunbar's house, going through his personal belongings before hiding in a closet. Later, Dunbar returns home and falls asleep. Moose touches his body and takes photos next to him, which he uploads onto his social media accounts before fleeing.

The following day, Dunbar sees Moose on his street and threatens to kill him if he sees him again. Moose suffers a complete mental breakdown and burns all of his Hunter Dunbar memorabilia. Leah visits him and confronts him about his behavior, threatening to go to the police for his own good, but Moose kicks her out of his home.

Moose returns to Dunbar's home while he's asleep and ties him to his bed. After Dunbar wakes up and discovers his predicament, Moose taunts him with a series of cruel and violent pranks. A terrified Dunbar pleads for Moose to let him go with promises of autographs and friendship. Moose agrees and unties Dunbar, who brutally attacks him. After shooting off Moose's fingers with a concealed rifle and stabbing him in the eye, Dunbar collapses, shocked by his own actions. Dunbar regains his composure and calmly escorts Moose out of his home.

Moose wanders the streets of Hollywood, sobbing and passing tourists who request to take photos with him, believing his wounds to be realistic makeup, before Leah finds him and takes him to a hospital. Meanwhile, Dunbar is seen being arrested by the police, who, having been informed of his recent assault on Moose, mistakenly assume he killed his housekeeper.

Cast

 * John Travolta as Moose, a mentally ill man with autism, who stalks his favorite actor. His real name is unknown.
 * Saul Green as Young Moose
 * Devon Sawa as Hunter Dunbar, an arrogant actor, who has his own personal problems in real life, due to the conflict of his ex-wife.
 * Ana Golja as Leah, Moose's only friend.
 * Jacob Grodnik as Todd
 * James Paxton as Slim
 * Denny Méndez as Amanda

Development
Pretzel Fang produced the film with VMI Worldwide, Wonderfilm Media, Media Finance Capital, Primal Film LLC and Quiver Distribution funded the film. In March 2018, principal photography began in Birmingham, Alabama. Redbox Entertainment also funded the film in exchange for release via the Redbox kiosks and streaming services.

Box office
The Fanatic earned $3,153 from 52 theaters in the U.S. on its opening day, making it a US box-office failure.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on  reviews, with an average score of. The website's critical consensus reads: "John Travolta gives it his oddly coiffed all, but The Fanatic rings hollow as an examination of the way fan appreciation can curdle into toxic obsession." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 18 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".

NPR's Simon Abrams gave the film a negative review, calling it a noticeable downgrade from director Fred Durst's The Education of Charlie Banks and The Longshots, and labeling the work a "miserable psychodrama." Specific elements attracting criticism included the "cliché-filled voiceover narration" and "a bunch of scenes where Travolta zealously overacts". Glenn Kenny of The New York Times also wrote a negative review of the film, arguing that it "delineates the border that separates the merely stale from the genuinely rancid."

In a positive review, Josh Millican of Dread Central called the film "a riveting indie with genuine suspense", and he praised both Travolta's and Sawa's performances.

Despite the negative reviews, Travolta has defended the film, saying he was very proud of it in a 2020 interview.

Accolades
The film was nominated in three categories at the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards, Worst Picture, Worst Director (Fred Durst), and Worst Actor which John Travolta won (also for his performance in Trading Paint).