Considering some bad buzz and a series of post-production hassles since filming in 2006, “Fanboys” turns out to be a thoroughly funny, lowbrow excursion into boy humor.

It lives up to its title. The main characters are geeks who live by the “Star Wars” bible, and are literally counting the hours until the release of “The Phantom Menace,” the first “SW” film in years, in 1999.

Only one thing could be better than camping out in line to see the movie the night it opens. That would be road-tripping to George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, breaking in, and stealing a copy of the film before anybody else sees it.

Well, of course. However, Eric (Sam Huntington) is having doubts. He’s got a grown-up job in his father’s company. It’s almost as though he thinks there’s something more important than living in your parents’ basement and debating the kiss between Luke and Leia. Sad, really.

But then his old buddy Linus (Chris Marquette) is diagnosed with cancer, and shy nerd Windows (Jay Baruchel) and sparkplug Hutch (Dan Fogler) practically insist they all pile in the van and head west.

Yes, this is a familiar situation. And yes, the movie struggles at times to breathe new life into the coming-of-age road picture.

But the nerd humor is absolutely spot-on. For instance, these “Star Wars” fans abhor anything to do with “Star Trek,” so they take a detour to the fictional birthplace of Captain Kirk, just to seek out a few Trekkies and mess them up.

If that doesn’t sound even mildly amusing, this is not the film for you. And the film’s various cameos won’t matter either — but there are some goodies. Captain Kirk, report to the bridge.

There’s also a typically full-bore performance by Seth Rogen, who shot this film before “Knocked Up” and “Pineapple Express.” He plays a few different roles, all obnoxious. Kristen Bell is appealing as the obligatory sane female friend-of-geeks.

But the main quartet earns the most laughs, especially Jay Baruchel, whose whiny shtick has sharpened lately in “Tropic Thunder” and “Nick and Norah’s Infinate Playlist,” and wild man Dan Fogler.

Fogler, late of “Balls of Fury” and the horrifying “Good Luck Chuck,” is the latest incarnation of the John Belushi/Jack Black comedian model. He’s one of those manically alert performers who can take over a film and drive it across the slow patches. When he’s at the wheel, “Fanboys” is a funny outing.