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The Polka King

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For the musician, the "Polka King", see Frankie Yankovic.
The Polka King
Film poster
Directed byMaya Forbes
Screenplay byMaya Forbes
Wallace Wolodarsky
Based onThe Man Who Would Be Polka King
by Joshua Brown and John Mikulak
Produced byJack Black
Stuart Cornfeld
Monica Levinson
Priyanka Mattoo
David Permut
Shivani Rawat
Wallace Wolodarsky
StarringJack Black
Jenny Slate
Jason Schwartzman
J. B. Smoove
Vanessa Bayer
Jacki Weaver
CinematographyAndrei Bowden-Schwartz
Edited byCatherine Haight
Music byTheodore Shapiro
Alex Meixner
Production
companies
ShivHans Pictures
Red Hour Productions
Permut Presentations
Electric Dynamite
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • January 22, 2017 (2017-01-22) (Sundance)
  • January 12, 2018 (2018-01-12) (Worldwide)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Polka King is a 2017 American biographical comedy film directed by Maya Forbes and written by Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky. The film is about real-life Polish-American polka band leader Jan Lewan, who was imprisoned in 2004 for running a Ponzi scheme. The film stars Jack Black as Lewan, as well as Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzman, and Jacki Weaver. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017.[1] It was released on Netflix on January 12, 2018.[2]

The Polka King is based on a 2009 documentary about Lewan, The Man Who Would Be Polka King, directed by Joshua Brown and John Mikulak.[3]

Plot

The film opens at a performance of Jan Lewan's (Black) polka band in Pennsylvania. Near the close of the show, he brings his wife Marla (Slate) onstage, who models amber jewelry they sell at their souvenir store. After the concert, Jan recounts to a happy concertgoer how he emigrated from Poland, ending up in America working every menial job available until he saved enough to begin the band. Lewan also recalls performing for a charity telethon where he met Marla, who was a local beauty queen.

The clarinetist in his band, Mickey (Schwartzman), visits Jan at his gift shop to tell him he wants to quit the band. Mickey and his bandmates suspect that Jan has gotten in over his head and cites rumors such as a woman in a costume will be a "dancing bear act". Jan admits to all this, convincing Mickey to "see the big picture".

An elderly couple visits Jan and asks about investing in his band. He explains that they are guaranteed a 12% annual return on their investment. The band's misfortune starts to reverse, and Mickey thanks Jan for not having to return to Radio Shack, a job he detested. The state Securities and Exchange Commission office discovers Jan is taking on investors and sends investigator Ron Edwards (Smoove) to meet with him. He informs Jan that because he has not registered properly, it is illegal for him to accept investments. He gives Jan three days to return his investors' money and close down.

With hundreds of thousands of dollars already invested, Jan can't meet the SEC deadline. When Edwards sees no further activity, he closes the case. However, Jan has covertly continued his investments by changing the name of his investment firm, as evidenced when the elderly couple looks to increase their investment and Jan takes their money by drafting up fresh papers.

The film follows Jan as he continues to expand his enterprises. Jan starts a travel company offering European tours. He sells a package that climaxes with a private audience with the Pope. In Rome, he begs Mickey to help him bribe Vatican officials to secure the Papal audience. Realizing he lied to all the tour-goers, Mickey threatens to expose Jan, but Jan explains that his philosophy is to simply say his goals out loud until they become true. He encourages Mickey to do the same, and Mickey explains that he has dreamt of creating a stage name for himself. Jan kneels with him in the hotel lobby and dubs him "Mickey Pizzazz".

Marla has been feeling the need to achieve something on her own through competing in another beauty pageant. She is supported by Jan (seeing this as a chance for increased publicity) who bribes the judges in order to crown her Mrs. Pennsylvania. When the pageant has been accused of foul play, Marla refuses to cede her title. The mounting bad press causes many investors to complain to the SEC or close their accounts. The elderly couple who have been his chief investors are among them, which would blow his Ponzi scheme sky high, but Jan dissuades them from leaving by offering them his top rate of 20% annual return.

While touring, a bus plunge kills two people and hospitalizes Jan's son. Jan begs God to spare his son. When Jan is arrested in tandem with his son's recovery, Jan gladly cooperates with Edwards, thinking this is God's requirement for penance.

Jan is sentenced to five years in prison. Marla divorces Jan and he has lost everything. Jan makes friends with some black prisoners who teach him hiphop and in turn gain an appreciation for polka. When Jan is released from prison, he is met by his son and Mickey, both of whom propose reviving the polka band.

Cast

Jack Black alongside Jan Lewan at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Production

Principal photography on the film began in mid-July 2016 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and later it also took place in Woonsocket and Cranston.[7][8] The movie has been released on Netflix streaming.[9]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Despite moments of hilarity and a talented ensemble, discordant direction and a sloppy script keep The Polka King from truly singing."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

References

  1. ^ Patten, Dominic (December 5, 2016). "Sundance 2017: Robert Redford, New Rashida Jones Netflix Series, 'Rebel In The Rye' & More On Premiere, Docu, Midnight & Kids Slates". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "January premieres on Netflix". Screencrush. Archived from the original on 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  3. ^ a b Jaafar, Ali (March 10, 2016). "Jack Black To Star In And Produce Jan Lewan Biopic 'The Man Who Would Be Polka King'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  4. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 19, 2016). "Jenny Slate to Co-Star With Jack Black in 'Polka King' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Jaafar, Ali (July 14, 2016). "Jacki Weaver & Jason Schwartzman Join Jack Black In 'The Man Who Would Be Polka King'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 18, 2016). "Vanessa Bayer, J.B. Smoove & Willie Garson Join Jack Black Comedy 'The Polka King'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  7. ^ "Filming for 'The Polka King' gets started | The Valley Breeze". www.valleybreeze.com. July 19, 2016. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  8. ^ Smith, Andy (July 19, 2016). "Shooting in Cranston, Jack Black movie looking for extras". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  9. ^ "The Polka King". Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  10. ^ "The Polka King (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Polka King Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
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