The Polka King, which is now available to stream on Netflix, easily could have been a condescending film; based on a 2009 documentary called The Man Who Would Be Polka King, it tells the story of Jan Lewan, a Polish-born, Pennsylvania-based polka singer and entrepreneur who, in the 1990s, embroiled his fans in a Ponzi scheme and raised nearly $5 million. Lewan’s music is tacky and the outfits he performs in even tackier; that he used the stolen money to fuel his career seems more pathetic than devious. Yet because the film is directed by Maya Forbes—whose autobiographical drama Infinitely Polar Bear (2014) is one of the most affecting movies I’ve seen about mental illness—and stars Jack Black—an imaginative comic performer who often suggests a live-action cartoon—The Polka King is warm and sympathetic, avoiding easy jokes in favor of humane, character-driven humor.
In its cheery attitude and frequent song breaks, The Polka King feels at times like a musical. Adding to this feeling is the “let’s put on a show” spirit embodied by most of the cast. Jason Schwartzman is a delight as Jan’s clarinetist and right-hand man Michael Stutz who dreams of performing under the name of Mickey Pizzazz, but Weaver gives the film’s standout supporting performance. Hamming it up under a curly wig and giant prop glasses, Weaver grounds her caricature of a mother-in-law in a recognizable, lower-middle-class feistiness. This acknowledgement of class-bound experience mirrors Forbes’s—at its best, the film conveys a sense of financial desperation that throws Jan’s dreams of stardom into sharp relief.
