GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE (1999 MediaTrip)

Directed by Joe Nussbaum

This short, which pays homage to Star Wars creator George Lucas in the style of Shakespeare In Love, is a funny, creative little film that any old-school Star Wars fan will enjoy. A fictional account of how Lucas came up with his epic saga simply by taking inspiration from life around him, it is loaded with references both subtle and obvious. Much better than “spoof movies” today, George Lucas In Love, in a mere 9 minutes, is loaded with more laughs than the entire Scary Movie franchise. The Flanneled One himself is a fan.

It is 1967, and young George Lucas has writer’s block. He just can’t seem to finish his movie about space farming. Instead he decides to “write what he knows”, and we all know what happened after that.  Stay tuned for the not-so-surprise ending.

The DVD is padded out with some other unfunny shorts, Evil Hill, ll, Film Club, and Swing Blade. Don’t waste your time. There is also an audio commentary and some behind-the-scenes features.

Keeping the run time in mind, pick this up at a reasonable price if you can — which may be hard as it is out of print.

4/5 stars