That line delivered in the movie by agent Louis (not even his real name, he adds), portrayed by T. J. Miller, of all the controversial actors, sums up "The Stand In" quite well, and not only regarding the business of making movies. That fakeness permeates the audience, critics, fans and social-media followers, too. The paparazzi aren't harassing stars when they venture outside their fortified mansions for no reason, and it's the same one that encourages fans to look for selfies even when the celebrity is gut-punched and lying on the street. It's why something like "Framing Britney Spears" exists, where fans hypocritically both claim to want to free her and have her be obliged to perform for them and be a continued subject of gossip and harassment, while still others are ostracized by so-called "cancel culture" and put on apology tours of comebacks. Albeit less objectionable, it's the same for movie expectations. Critics claiming they want something different--that subverts their expectations and not just another sequel or formulaic "hit me where it hurts." So, here we have "The Stand In" advertised as a comedy or romance, but it really isn't, and that also mocks the brand of bubbly slapstick and rom-com antics that stars like Drew Barrymore (as well as a supporting cast and cameos from comedic veterans Holland Taylor, Ellie Kemper, Lena Dunham, Richard Kind, Miller and others) are known for, as well as recruiting talk-show hosts like Jimmy Fallon and Kelly Ripa to mock how phony their crafts are, and the movie is widely panned. Maybe there's a reason TV is full of junk and most of the box office, in non-pandemic years at least, is occupied by the MCU and other franchise installments or otherwise safe-and-predictable Disney-type fare. The whole business is fake.
So incisively reflexive is this that I'm rating "The Stand In" higher than I might otherwise for such a considerably flawed picture. I mean, its resolution is ultimately to seclude oneself in a Shaker community--although, granted, it's somewhat amusing that the rom-com aspect of the narrative revolves so much around a Christian sect known for their celibacy (if you haven't heard of Shakers, that's probably why, as one's numbers tend to dwindle without procreation). And, it could've been funny, perhaps, if it hadn't imitated "Single White Female" (1992) instead.
Besides the casting of Miller and maybe others--I'm not hip to all the celebrity scandals--Barrymore and her star persona fits well in the reflexive construction. It would've been more apt had the movie made her character acting royalty, like the real actress is as part of the Barrymore clan and put into films as soon as she could walk, instead of a carpenter, but at least there's the drug abuse and rehab here, which is in line with the art-reflecting-life theme. Supporting the fake and doubled nature of cinematic representation, there's two Barrymores, too. Kind of like "An American Pickle" (2020), but the dual roles aren't a pointless vanity exercise. Actors-playing-actors, inside and outside the films-within-the-film, "reality" and illusion. They reflect the duality and duplicity of cinema itself while also holding up a mirror to the culture surrounding it--the whole fake business. That's clever reflexive filmmaking, so big whoop if it doesn't meet generic expectations of humor and romance. Good, I'll take "The Stand In" over an entire listicle of Barrymore rom-coms any day.
