The Polka King

I've always enjoyed watching films with Jack Black as the leading man, but his career has been pretty hit or miss in terms of good and bad content. Recently with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, he's been having a solid year, but I've been waiting for his classic performances to return. Not since films like High Fidelity, Shallow Hal, or School of Rock have I truly found myself loving him. That being said, I loved how he was committed to his role in the recent rendition of Jumanji and The Polka King only continues his recent devotion to acting. This is a film that completely came under the radar for me, but it's a pretty solid surprise. Now streaming on Netflix everywhere, here's why I think you should check out The Polka King.

Exploring the craziness that ensued when one man wanted to create a so-called "Empire," The Polka King follows Jan Lewan as he does his best to find investors for his company, in order to tour the world, making tons of money. The only issues are that his touring hardly have him breaking even, while his investors continue to invest money, having him owing millions of dollars and spiraling out of control. More than anything, this was simply a fascinating watch, especially when having the knowledge that it's a true story. Polka itself isn't very interesting to me in terms of art mediums, but there was something about this film that hooked me from beginning to end.

From humor to drama, The Polka King has it all. When Lewan is down on his luck, he enjoys finding the best in every situation and that makes for quite a few hilarious scenarios and I found myself audibly laughing on multiple occasions here. Jack Black, as I mentioned already, is a fantastic talent in term of comedy and he doesn't disappoint here. Jenny Slate as Lewan's wife is terrific as well and they share a strange chemistry that I was sort of surprised by. On top of these two great performances, I found myself loving Jason Schwartzman's contribution to this film as well, and I haven't really been blown away by any of his work in the past, so that's saying something from me.

I may be slightly biased when giving my recommendation here because I'm the type of person who loves the meshing of multiple genres. When Comedies and Dramas are mixed together to make films like off-beat movies like 50/50 or Safety Not Guaranteed (just to name a couple), I feel that it's more relatable. Not everything in the world is dour and depressing and not everything is cheerful, so a nice blend of the two is always what draws me in more. The Polka King does a great job at making you laugh, but you also feel terrible for this guy, who steals everyone's money, but his heart's always in the right place.

In the end, this is one of the better films to be released on Netflix in a while and I recommend it to those who're looking for a quick watch. At a breezy 90 minutes, this movie gives you comedy, drama, life lessons, and hope. There's not much more you could ask for from a movie like this. The one downside is that you can sort of predict where the film's going, even if you're unaware of the true story. It's the type of movie that's very solid and worth a watch, but won't ever be up for awards or even remembered for that matter. That's a shame because it's a nice little comedy that I believe deserves some attention.

My unsolicited advise to those who intend to watch this movie is to watch extra the documentary about the real Polka King, Jan Lewandoski, as then there's a valid conparison to the real persona vs. Jack Black's portrayal as Jan Lewan ( americanized version of his name). Black's portrayal is funny and genuine. The suspicious mother in law is a superb character who adds spice to the Jan Lewan saga , in those days Jan might have pioneered the pyramiding scam not by evil intentions but perhaps out of wanting to satisfy every one else. There is a confrontation scène near the end between the mother in law and some alleged victims which rings true - one gets scammed because one is too greedy thus deserves it. Pay no attention to the humpahpah music but focus on the motivation of real people and what it results to, this is what this film is about.

I always have good intentions of going to the movies on Friday night. Inevitably fatigue from the workweek gets the best of me and I end of staying in. Polka King was my stay-at-home Friday night movie choice and I enjoyed it. Some reviews pan this movie as boring and terrible. This is a decent, entertaining movie. I knew about this story because years ago I saw the documentary, The Man Who Would Be Polka King.

I have always like Jack Black, especially his performances in Bernie and Margot at the Wedding. Maybe Black didn't exactly pin down the Polish accent perfectly but I believe the essence of Jan Lewan came across. Maybe Jack Black isn't the perfect choice to play for this particular part, but he can sing and has good comedic timing. Jason Schwarman, Jenny Slate, and Jacki Weaver were also entertaining and believable when you compare the documentary (The Man Who Would Be Polka King) to this film. I especially appreciated Jacki Weaver's comedic and frustrated performance. There were plenty of funny parts -- I got a kick every time Black's character said Bitsy Bear.

Definitely give this movie a chance if you are in the mood for a decent, entertaining movie. If you have time on your hands, it's fun to watch the documentary after.

I had noticed that this was on Netflix when I came across the actual documentary about Jan Lewan (also on Netflix.) Its called 'The Man Who Would Be Polka King,' complete with actual footage and interviews with many of his true victims, and some of the actual escapades depicted are far more absurd than anything pictured in The Polka King.

The movie was not that bad, but the knowledge of the actual events makes it kinda blah.

"The Polka King" starring Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, and Jenny Slate has the kind of story I'd like to see tackled by the Coen Brothers. It's the true story of Jan Lewan, a polka bandmaster, who devises a Ponzi scheme that lands him in trouble.

Jack Black is terrific, but unfortunately, the film's aim was more comedy than black comedy, so his characterization could never be fleshed out. He was hilarious, but Jan Lewan stole money from real people. It would have been great to see more of both sides.

It's definitely worth seeing for Black and all the polka stuff, but make sure you watch through the credits for not only updates but a look at the real Jan Lewan, an immigrant who knows the true meaning of survival.