|
Genre: Comedy
Director: Rob Schneider
Cast: Rob Schneider, Brandon Molale, David
Carradine, Randy Couture, Barbara Dodd
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: M18 (Mature Content)
Opening Day: 2 October 2008
Synopsis:
"Big Stan" marks the directorial debut of "Saturday
Night Live" alum Rob Schneider ("Deuce Bigelow,"
"The Animal") and features David Carradine ("Kill
Bill") and Jennifer Morrison (TV's "House").
The comedy, written by Josh Lieb, tells the story of Stan
(Schneider), a white collar con man who, after being sentenced
to prison, spends his last remaining free days trying to figure
out ways to avoid being violated in "the big house."
Seeking help from a mysterious martial arts guru known only
as "The Master" (Carradine), Stan transforms himself
into a combat expert ultimately bringing the warring prison
gangs together and establishing a hysterical peace within
its walls.
Movie Review:
We seriously don’t remember California born comedian
Rob Schneider having a good bod. In the first place, he isn’t
the most attractive looking leading star around anyway –
Deuce Bigalow, The Animal and The Hot Chick? We’d think
you’ll pass on too. In his latest leading role, the
Saturday Night Live alum not only manages to sport a nice
physique, he also takes on the role of the director for this
first time in his movie career.
Schneider
plays Stan, a con man who gets sent to jail for fraud. Afraid
that he would be humiliated and tortured by the big and mean
prison folks (read: gang rape), Stan seeks help from a mysterious
man known simply as The Master to buff up his wobbly bod.
Within six months, small Stan is transformed into big Stan.
The martial arts expert goes to jail confidently, and even
manages to introduce peace and harmony to the battling gangs
in prison.
To
be fair, this is a rather decent plot with the potential to
incorporate decent humor. Sure, it doesn’t warrant anything
highly original (nothing much does these days, anyway), but
the filmmakers should be able to milk a few barrels of laughs
from the average movie goer. And it does, in the usual Rob
Schneider way, of course.
If
you are familiar with the comedian’s previous works,
this one wouldn’t surprise you in any way. Expect crude
humor where body parts are made fun of (we find the nipple
training method highly disturbing), races to be made fun of
(blacks versus Nazis) and sexuality to be made fun of (true
love finds its way in a gay couple in prison). All these contribute
to the rating and consumer advice given by our friends at
the censorship board: M18 (Mature Content).
There
are a few amusing and entertaining casting choices which are
enjoyable in their own rights. David Carradine puts his experience
playing the wisecracking Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s
Kill Bill to good use here by spouting even more wisecracks
as The Master. Other supporting actors (read: not so well
known) play other supporting roles to decent comedic effect
– Jennifer Morrison (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Surviving Christmas)
as Schneider’s wife with an irritatingly high pitched
voice, M Emmet Walsh (Racing Stripes, Christmas with the Kranks)
as Schneider’s lethargic lawyer and also Schneider’s
own mother who plays a member of the board of governors who
appears at the end of the movie. Apparently, she has been
appearing in other movies starring her son as the protagonist.
Ah, a mother’s love we say.
The
105 minute movie serves up joke after joke which will entertain
the audiences. Although somewhat repetitive, one can’t
expect any intelligence from a movie of such genre. What?
You were expecting something high brow like Woody Allen’s
sharply written witty lines? Look elsewhere, dude.
Movie Rating:
(Watch this if you are a fan of movies like Deuce Bigalow,
The Animal and The Hot Chick)
Review by John Li
|
