The Polka King Review

Taking place in the 1980's, The Polka King tells the story of a ponzi scheme based around the music of Polka. It's a strange occurrence of events and one that paints an almost sympathetic picture of the man running the show. Things start off small as he's attempting to make it big so he can support the ones he loves and it rolls from there. Starring Jack Black as Jan Lewan the film is mostly focused around his character's progression to wealth. His wife Marla (Jenny Slate) and close friend played by Jason Schwartzman are also heavily involved with most of the narrative.

It's an interesting series of events and all based on an actual real life event. It takes place over a decade of time and presents this in a great way showcasing an aging of the key players involved. I found the pacing to be excellent and generally it was a solid film. Don't expect anything too emotional from this as it's rather light, yet paints a man that stole a lot of money in a very sympathetic way. That being said, it's a very enjoyable watch that flows very nicely. It was a curious and twisting tale of how wealth was easily generated over time.

The acting involved was stellar with Jack Black particularly embracing his role and making the character come alive. Other characters were also solid additions with Slate and Schwartzman being fantastic in their supporting positions.

The music was also well done whenever it was interlaced with what was happening and while I'm not big on the genre, it was all fine to listen to. The scenes that featured a look at Polka performances were usually all upbeat and looked like a blast. It's not the type of film one might expect and while it aims to tell a somewhat true story it's mostly light putting things as almost humorous at times.

The Conclusion

I found The Polka King to be an easy watch, it wasn't terribly long the pacing felt right for the type of film it was. The acting was excellent all around and the performances helped to paint a realistic depiction of the character.

They could have dwelled on the aspects they mostly made sympathetic and that's obviously the aspect of the money taking within the ponzi scheme. It was rather interesting to see how his empire grew and the situation which helped nurture it. It looked good for the most part from a style perspective while presenting the musical aspects very well. This was mostly a fine film though nothing too incredible or out there.

The Polka King Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 6.5