The Polka King tells the true-crime story of polka bandleader Jan Lewan who roped his fans into an elaborate Ponzi scheme. While this material is slight to be sure, it makes an enormously entertaining showcase for Jack Black. The role of Jan Lewan would not fall into the wheelhouse of many performers, but it fits Black like a glove. A character that can allow him to simultaneously combine his natural gift for music and comedy all the while occasionally allowing him glimpses of dramatic flair and nuance? It almost seems too good to be true.
Naturally, that’s what Lewan’s followers should’ve thought. They willingly “invested” lots of money into his organization, that unexpectedly blew up into something bigger than he could’ve ever imagined. They probably should’ve known something was shady, especially when he was giving them huge, guaranteed returns on their money. Then again, when Lewan is able to deliver on such unlikely promises as a free bus tour to meet the Pope… well… maybe it was money well-spent.
I think the movie’s point is that that his followers weren’t so much investing their money in a fraudulent pyramid scheme so much as they were invested in Jan himself. He’s gregarious, fun-loving, and never has an unkind word for his family, friends, bandmates, and fans. Also, for a so-called criminal, he busts his ass working odd jobs and running a gift shop while keeping his polka empire afloat.
Black is terrific in the lead and the supporting cast does a fine job making the world around him as colorful as the suits he performs in. Jenny Slate is well-cast as Black’s clueless wife who turns a blind eye to his business dealings out of love. Jason Schwartzman is a trip as his right-hand man and trumpet player who goes through a hilarious transformation under his tutelage. Jacki Weaver (who seems to be channeling Estelle Getty from The Golden Girls) is also quite funny as Black’s distrusting mother in-law. Really, this is Black’s show through and through. It’s a great performance and the movie is a perfect vehicle for him.
This wouldn’t necessarily be an awards contender or anything, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. It takes a thin premise and makes you actually care about Jan, even if his business model wasn’t exactly on the up and up. It would make a great double feature with the equally enjoyable Bernie in which Black played another seemingly loveable fellow who’s actually a criminal. There’s also kind of a Fargo vibe to it (at least the William H. Macy scenes from that movie) as Jan is always about one step away from having his scheme blow up in his face.
Really, The Polka King is one of those Dark Side of the American Dream movies. Instead of being about cocaine (like in Blow) or the stock market (like in The Wolf of Wall Street), it’s about Ponzi schemes and polka. Just because the allure of polka music isn’t as enticing as drug runners and Wall Street fat cats doesn’t make it any less enthralling.
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