The Polka King
A relentlessly optimistic Pennsylvania polka star turns a dream of musical grandeur into an increasingly desperate financial scam.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- absurdist
- irreverent
- comic true crime night
- jack black movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the ensemble and comic performances entertaining but felt that discordant direction and a sloppy script prevented the film from fully succeeding.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jan Lewan treats his expanding financial scheme and entertainment empire as sincere projects, creating comedy from the gap between his confidence and the consequences.
Jan's desire to enlarge his polka career and become rich drives the Ponzi scheme that destabilizes his personal and professional life.
Jan builds his identity and business around Pennsylvania polka performances, elderly fans, musicians, and the promise of a larger entertainment empire.
Jack Black's Jan is presented as an exuberant polka celebrity whose costumes, stage presence, and self-promotion shape the film's comic viewpoint.
Films like The Polka King, and why
I, Tonya
darkly comic biographical crime story built around an audacious financial scam
The Wolf of Wall Street
comic true-crime portrait with an eccentric central figure and uneasy tonal balance
Ed Wood
absurdist biographical comedy about misplaced ambition and public performance
Movie Details
- Director
- Maya Forbes
- Release Date
- 2017-01-22
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (342)
Cast
- Jack Black
- Jenny Slate
- Jason Schwartzman
- Jacki Weaver
- JB Smoove
- Robert Capron
- Willie Garson
- Vanessa Bayer
- Robert Macaux
- Mary Klug
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Polka King about?
- A relentlessly optimistic Pennsylvania polka star turns a dream of musical grandeur into an increasingly desperate financial scam.
- What is The Polka King like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Polka King as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Polka King violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Polka King as mild.
- What did critics think of The Polka King?
- Critics generally found the ensemble and comic performances entertaining but felt that discordant direction and a sloppy script prevented the film from fully succeeding.
- Which films are like The Polka King?
- Films with a similar feel include I, Tonya, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Ed Wood.
- How long is The Polka King?
- The Polka King runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Polka King?
- In United States, The Polka King streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
