By Fred Topel | Image property of respective holders
Big Stan
I remember Rob Schneider telling us about his directorial debut at the junket for The Benchwarmers. He described Big Stan, almost word for word the scene where the corporate criminal finds out he's going to be raped in prison. That is in the movie and rape continues to play a big role.
On DVD: Big Stan
I couldn't believe he actually got it made so I had to watch the movie. As a directorial debut, it certainly looks like a real movie. Nothing special, but the shots are composed and it's edited. It doesn't look any worse than a standard SNL-alum high concept comedy.
It's an "edgy" Rob Schneider film since the rape and other language makes it R. So that's a tad different, even from Deuce Bigelow which was innocent, if vulgar, sex jokes. This is not innocent.
Really, it's a martial arts film. The point is that Stan trains himself to be the biggest badass in prison so that nobody will take him. It's got fight scenes and training montages, and Schneider does his moves. The scenes flow better than some mainstream stuff like Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, though what I really mean to say is it holds up with any regular fight movie, even with the comedy tweaks.
So really, the film doesn't even need to be about rape. It could just be about a weak guy who needs to protect himself in prison, so he becomes the baddest ass fighter in the world. That's funny because he's a little guy and it's unexpected. It doesn't need to push the boundaries, and it could shave itself down to a more reasonable comedy running time without some of those scenes.
I'd definitely hold Big Stan up with the better Schneider movies. I have a soft spot for <B>Deuce</B> but it's as strong a gimmick as The Animal and better than The Hot Chick. It's Rob Schneider's Shawshank Redemption.
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