The Polka King
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): January 12, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpJan 18, 2018
Maya Forbes has crafted a zippy comedy about a charismatic charlatan and the disastrous impact his fakery has on the rubes gullible enough to fall for his schtick. Read full review
80
ScreenCrushMatt SingerJan 25, 2017
This is one of those stories when reality was stranger, and more entertaining, than fiction. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis HarveyJan 25, 2017
When it comes to the film’s overall success, these wildly amusing situations take a back seat to the contributions of an excellent cast. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comNick AllenJan 12, 2018
The sporadic magic of The Polka King largely comes from its casting, and the hammy performances that follow. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJan 11, 2018
The Polka King doesn't have the dazzling ambition or energy of a great grifter classic. Instead she seems intent on nailing the details, on realizing Jan's milieu in all its tacky splendor, and trusting that our attention will follow. As in "Infinitely Polar Bear," Forbes has a gift for letting her production design tell the story. Read full review
60
The GuardianJordan HoffmanJan 25, 2017
What’s key is that even though this is a movie about a scoundrel, it’s all very optimistic. Forbes and Wolodarsky keep the frame bright and the filmmaking calls attention to itself only when necessary. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 25, 2017
Jack Black...finds a role that invites a great deal of Jack Black-ness, full of peppy showmanship and thickly accented dialogue. But even moviegoers with a strong tolerance for that shtick may be less than involved with this half-charming feature, which inspires some sympathy for its protagonist but not enough to carry the film. Read full review
60
Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanJan 25, 2017
The Polka King, and Jan’s plight, never quite reaches the level of palpable human drama of their previous effort. Black does his best to make Jan a vulnerable and sympathetic character, but neither the script nor the direction allows him to become fully dimensional. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerJan 10, 2018
Above all else, this movie is so well-cast that the laugh line makes perfect sense coming from Black. Read full review
58
The Film StageDan MeccaJan 27, 2017
Forbes and Wolodarsky are clearly fascinated by this character and all of his sins, but not those he sinned against. Read full review
50
ConsequenceAllison ShoemakerJan 14, 2018
It’s not that the film doesn’t have an opinion on Lewan, it’s that the opinion seems to change every few scenes. Read full review
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