Jack Black is not one to shy away from laying down some sick tunes in his movies, but it's usually not the kind of music that makes you think of lederhosen, finely cooked sausages and windmills. In THE POLKA KING Black will star as infamous polka musician, Jan Lewan, who on top of shredding on the accordion was caught having people invest people’s money in a Ponzi scheme, with his wife Marla (Jenny Slate) by his side trying to reclaim her beauty queen glory. The first trailer is here, and Black looks as much at home bouncing to some jolly melodies as he does headbanging to righteous rock n’ roll. That's what you call versatility.
The movie premiered at Sundance earlier this year (read Chris Bumbray's review here!) to solid reviews before being scooped up by Netflix, but I would've loved to see how this performed on the awards circuit. Not that it looks like an Oscar contender, but Black looks terrific in a role that seems to make use of his charisma and underlying sensitivity. I could imagine him getting the similar kind of praise for his performance like he did for the movie BERNIE, which saw him get nominated for a Golden Globe. Jacki Weaver also looks fantastic in the movie, and overall the movie reminds me of a less intense version of AMERICAN MADE, or some other crime–biography-comedy. I don't know if people would flock to the theaters to see it, so Netflix is probably the perfect place for the flick, and watching it at home will give you enough privacy to dance to the polka music without feeling ashamed of yourself.
THE POLKA KING hits Netflix January 12, 2018.
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