Sundance Institute

Institute History

2017 Sundance Film Festival

Description

This exuberant tragicomedy recounts the remarkable but true story of the rise and fall of Polish émigré Jan Lewan (Jack Black), from striving tchotchke shop owner in the ’70s to the undisputed “King of Pennsylvania Polka” in the early ’90s. Lewan pursued the American Dream by any means necessary, fleecing investors and bribing officials to build a personal musical empire in what became the world’s only known Polka Ponzi scheme. Swept up by Lewan’s charismatic charm are his devoted wife, Marla (Jenny Slate), and his neurotic sidekick, Mickey (Jason Schwartzman).

Co-writers and directors Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, who previously teamed up for Infinitely Polar Bear (2014 Sundance Film Festival), infuse The Polka King with an infectious energy and fill the frame with kitschy period detail, taking us through two accordion-fueled decades of grift and glory. Throughout, producer/star Black breathes life into the eccentric Lewan, finding pathos beneath his cockeyed optimism and showbiz hustle.

— Matt Cornell

Screening Details

Section: Premieres
Film Type: DRAMF - Dramatic Feature
Country: U.S.A.
Run Time: 95 min.

Credits

Producer
Actor
Co-Executive Producer
- Joshua von Brown
- John Mikulak
Music Supervisor
- Meghan Currier
- Randall Poster
Director
- Maya Forbes
Screenwriter
- Maya Forbes
- Wally Wolodarsky
Editor
- Catherine Haight
Executive Producer
Costume Designer
- Susan Lyall
Casting Director
- Jeanne McCarthy
Cinematographer
- Andrei Bowden Schwartz
Composer
- Theodore Shapiro
Production Designer
- Carl Sprague

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