I first became aware of this film back in the summer of 2017 after my own polka dance instructors stated that they were called by Jan Lewan to appear in a movie about his life being filmed in Rhode Island. Their names are Rich Labanowski and Hilda Ellis, and though they took part in a dance scene, I wasn't able to catch them in the picture; they may not have made the cut. Rich was a Harvest Moon pairs champion in the polka category in 1960 and appeared with his partner on the Ed Sullivan Show.

I think for the most part, this was a fairly credible representation of the career of Jan Lewandowski (Lewan for short),covering his heyday in the field of polka, followed by his involvement in a major financial scandal that ruined many people. With Jack Black in the lead role, one naturally expects a comedy treatment, and though there are some humorous moments in the picture, it's more a serious story about a man who allowed his passion for music and investing get the better of his personal judgment. The one thing that comes through more than anything else is Lewan's indefatigable optimism and faith in God to point him in the right direction when he realized he was getting in way over his head.

In the middle of all this, Lewan's wife Marla (Jenny Slate) enters and wins the Mrs. Pennsylvania Beauty Contest under questionable circumstances, adding another layer of ambiguity to Lewan's character. It seems as if all the good things Lewan touched were ultimately brought down by his unwitting faith in a higher power to get him out of any kind of jam. Some no doubt will view Lewan as the ultimate con man, and he was that to be sure, but I don't think you'll ever experience a con man with a more positive attitude about life and where it could take him if only the breaks went his way.

The 'real' Jan Lewan makes an appearance over the closing credits, and one could very well question why someone like Jack Black was selected to portray the title character. There's not much of a physical resemblance, Lewan in fact appears quite professional in front of an orchestra. The close of the picture brings the story of Jan Lewan more or less up to date in real time. You still have time as I write this to book a 'Final Tour to Poland' at JanLewandowski.com, as well as shop at his on line gift store. Needless to say, and in spite of Jan Lewan's resolve to go straight, you might want to be careful about booking that dream vacation.

My only real gripe with the picture, if you want to call it one, is the choice of title. Followers of polka in the United States know there's only one 'Polka King', and that title goes to eighteen time Grammy winner in that category - Jimmy Sturr from my home town of Florida, New York. I haven't seen Mr. Sturr yet to ask him what he thinks about the movie, that's something I can get back to you on at a later time.

"The Polka King" starring Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, and Jenny Slate has the kind of story I'd like to see tackled by the Coen Brothers. It's the true story of Jan Lewan, a polka bandmaster, who devises a Ponzi scheme that lands him in trouble.

Jack Black is terrific, but unfortunately, the film's aim was more comedy than black comedy, so his characterization could never be fleshed out. He was hilarious, but Jan Lewan stole money from real people. It would have been great to see more of both sides.

It's definitely worth seeing for Black and all the polka stuff, but make sure you watch through the credits for not only updates but a look at the real Jan Lewan, an immigrant who knows the true meaning of survival.

For much of the film, I thought that "The Polka King" was an original story...and I was enjoying it quite a bit. However, my wife did an internet search and informed me that it was a TRUE story and Jan Lewan was a real person AND he was not the least bit sorry for embezzling the nearly $5,000,000. Jan clearly is a sociopath...and giving him a film that makes him seem like a nice guy as well as giving him a forum just seems morally bankrupt and spoiled the film for me. At least in the case of Jack Black and the film "Bernie", the criminal apparently was a decent person who just snapped...whereas Lewan swindled people for years and deserves to die alone, penniless and miserable. Instead, they do a movie about him and he is continuing to tour. He also, I assume, is making money off the film and at the very least is gaining lots of positive attention.

The story is set mostly in the 1990s. Jack Black plays Lewan, a minor celebrity who headed a polka band. However, the job didn't pay very much so he took to selling interest in his band....and instead of investing the money, he spent it on himself, his family and his band....leaving folks with nothing.

At the end of the film, Jack Black and then Lewan himself sing a bizarre polka-rap! This awful song really annoyed me, however, when I learned that a small portion was removed for the film--a portion where Lewan says he was guilty of NOTHING and that he did nothing wrong!! Don't you think it's a bit dishonest to play the song and excise that portion in order to make the leading character seem more like an innocent bungler?! Overall, a very entertaining film that is morally questionable to say the very least as it seems to portray an evil man who bilked elderly folks out of their savings as some sort of nice guy you could love and respect.