Saturday Special: Stan the Man [Film]

“Stan Mann, a new money multi-millionaire, whose life consists of ladies, gambling and booze, lives at a 5-star hotel where the staff tends to his every need. Known as “Stan the Man” for his extreme generosity, he gets mixed up in a casino gambling scheme with Russian Mobsters and in one fateful bet, Stan loses everything. Planning to drown his sorrows in a bottle, Stan is critically wounded in a liquor store robbery, where he takes the bullet intended for the store clerk, Kristi. During a near-death experience in the ER, a slightly resentful Angel gives Stan 30 days to change his ways and redeem himself, and find his one true love.” – October Coast PR

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I have been searching for the words to describe Stan the Man for quite some time. Well, maybe just a few days, but it is indeed something that hasn’t faded from my thought process. Initially I just wanted to say it is a “fun” film. Because it certainly is. Maybe delightfully cheesy? Yes, and obviously this is a compliment. But, when I really think about it, in my heart of hearts, I feel as though I should call this film “whimsical”. I think it fits. It’s a timeless tale of a man who seems to have everything, but the power of love can not be bought and all the while may be the most precious gift that this sometimes cold world can allow. And who doesn’t love a great second chance story? That is literally what we have here with this film. It’s literally the plot of the film. And I believe that it is done so amazing, incorporating just about every single romcom troupe imaginable, but manages to not be annoying for it. Which is a huge feat in my opinion, and something that everyone involved with the film should be extremely proud of for accomplishing.

Director/Co-writer and the dude behind Stan himself, Steven Chase was good in the titular role. But, as we tend to do around here at TWS, we have to give a shout out to the powerful female performances of Stan the Man. Dana Daurey is an absolute stand out during her time on screen. I’ve always said, publicly or not, that the best way to tell if a performer has done a great job is if you try to imagine another performer stepping in and taking over the role, and if it just doesn’t feel like it’s possible, that should be a pretty good sign that they were wonderful. I could say the same for Katherine Kelly Lang, who is of course absolutely phenomenal, but what else could you expect from the most seasoned and master of their class performer to appear in this film? Lang truly seems as though she doesn’t know how to give a bad performance, a quality that only the combination of time, passion, and natural born talent can create.

And then there is Anne Leighton, which if you couldn’t tell by the way I structured this whole thing, was my absolute favorite in the film. I feel that her character was deliberately set out to be the most loved character in the film, and Leighton grasped firmly onto this concept and absolutely nailed it. She was as absolutely delightful. I was actually aware of Leighton’s work, at least in one somewhat forgettable action film from a few years ago that doesn’t need to be named. But, I remember thinking that she was probably somebody to watch out for in the future. Well, it looks like the future is here, and I am seeing a perfect performance from one of the finest performers in the business. For those of you reading this who are in the business, PUT ANNE LEIGHTON IN MORE THINGS.

I implore you all to watch this whimsical and delightful movie. No, it’s not a 3 1/2 hour opus about political corruption and gangster squabbling, or a dark take on class warfare, but they don’t all have to be, do they? If you’d just like to have a little fun whilst acknowledging the power of love, I would highly recommend Stan the Man.

Stan the Man is available now on DVD & VOD wherever you purchase great films.