If I’m totally honest with you, Stan The Man has problems and lots of them. I could comfortably classify the film as a B-Movie Rom-Com. Steven Chase reminds me of Chico Marx from the Marx Brothers. He has this charming personality, eager to be liked, and gets through life with street smarts. In the same vein as Marx, Stan has no character arc. He’s pretty much the same charming guy from beginning to end. It’s the situations the character navigates through that changes from good to bad to good again that creates the arc in this story of the “love is stronger than riches” trope.
Also, like any Marx Brother’s movie, the overall story is not that deep, and neither is the quality of acting from the supporting characters. Each supporting role has a good amount of dialogue to recite, and it feels like everyone’s just happy to have gotten their lines out correctly versus integrating the dialogue into their respective characters through extensive rehearsals. Again, this happens in a lot of indie films, especially comedies.
“While not being classically handsome, he’s got charm and charisma, and it oozes all over the place.”
That said, let me tell you why I recommend Stan The Man. It’s oozing with heart and charm. I’ll start with admiration for what this indie film accomplished. Its resourcefulness is incredible taking place in a casino—Pechanga Casino, to be exact. I spent hundreds of hours here, back in my poker days and I knew almost every location. Scenes are shot on real blackjack and roulette tables with authentic-looking chips, dealers and pit bosses look authentic. Chase shot his damn movie in a goddamn real casino. My hat’s off to this entire production for just this single filmmaking feat.
The other reason I love this movie is Steven Chase, himself. While not being classically handsome, he’s got charm and charisma, and it oozes all over the place. His acting is nowhere near that of DeNiro or Pacino, but it’s good enough to carry this entire feature. If I were to guess, the guy isn’t acting at all. He’s being himself and elevating Stan to more than just a guy with an accent. Also, the story itself is not that profound, nor does it do anything particularly new in the genre. But Chase somehow manages to inject some life into it to sustain interest to the end.
Look, Stan The Man isn’t going to win any awards, nor will it win over anyone looking for smart comedy, insightful drama, or heart-racing romance. Instead, once you know what kind of film it is, you’re getting into, Stan The Man is an amusing, light rom-com, whose fun starts from the top and permeates the film. Open your heart a little, and you might just have a good time in the end.
"…open your heart a little, and you might just have a good time in the end."
