John Travolta's career looks like it desperately needs a second comeback. We thought it might happen with his excellent turn as OJ Simpson's lawyer, Robert Shapiro, in 2016’s “The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Ever since then? Nada. Zilch. Zero.
In “The Fanatic,” which was directed by Fred Durst, frontman for Limp Bizkit., John Travolta plays Moose, a fan obsessed with an actor, Hunter Dunbar. The movie has been panned left and right by critics. Its 18% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 17 Metascore have positioned it upfront as a contender for next year’s Razzie awards.
And yet, it appears as though Travolta is actually campaigning his performance for an Oscar nomination, with a For Your Consideration ad being noticed on social media.
“The Fanatic” is based on a real-life experience that Durst had. The film is about an obsessed fan, played by Travolta, who begins stalking his favorite action-film star, played by Devon Sawa (Remember him? From “Idle Hands” and “SLC Punk?”).
This is the adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz. It wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since. The film test-screened a few months ago.