Surprisingly funny and warm-hearted tale about a guy who basically steals 5 million dollars from pensioners and fakes a whole life for himself with it.

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.