Published on Double X (http://www.doublex.com)
Boys Will Be Boys
Nick's dull, uninspired Fanboy and Chum Chum.
By: KJ Dell'Antonia
Posted: November 5, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Fanboy and Chum Chum is just what the world’s been missing—a show about two nerdy, overactive adolescent boys who pull each other’s fingers and drive teachers crazy—oh, wait, that’s been done, hasn’t it? Once or twice or a thousand times. But these two are wearing (for no apparent reason) superhero costumes! Don’t get me wrong—if Fanboy and Chum Chum pops on in your house, your middle graders will sit entranced, laughing in all the right places. The episode where a real teen wizard shows up and these two dorks want to play “wizard” with him is mildly funny. But there are too many tired jokes and not enough of that kind of mild satire to make this play in our house, where I can see the TV from the kitchen.
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Fear Factor:
(There’s some humorous and gross violence and explosions that might bother a younger child caught in the same room.) -
Heart:
(Yeah, yeah, they’re devoted friends. Bleh.) -
Attitude:
(Chockfull of the kind of attitude these things thrive on: Look, a teacher who hates his job! Ooh, a smart girl who’s just too annoying to be their friend. Novel.) -
Psst: A character-describing snippet from Wikipedia: “Lenny is the junior manager of Frosty's Mart. He finds Fanboy and Chum Chum irritating.” Yeah, me too.
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If You Like This: Please, go get Rocko’s Modern life instead.