Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 21:15:19

Exceeded expectations

This review is from: Big Stan (DVD) I have to admit that I watched this movie expecting it to be horrible. I had not even heard of it when I ran across it here on Amazon.com. My fiancée being a Rob Schneider fan, so we decided to take a flier on the movie and get it. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I laughed. Now don't get me wrong this movie is by no means the best that Mr. Schneider has produced but it was good for a few laughs. On a one to ten scale I'd say it was a solid 7.5.

2012-05-24 17:12:00

"See what I made out of some bars of soap and a shoelace!"

BIG STAN (2007) is a slightly gross-out, not-quite-as-funny-as-you-wish comedy, directed by its star Rob Schneider. While I liked it for its occasional homages to several films, and I thought it was deeper than a mere comedy anyway, this will not be to everyone's liking.Schneider plays Stan the crooked real estate con man. When he's busted, he hires an even more crooked lawyer (the brilliant M. Emmet Walsh) to get the judge to offset the beginning of his 3-year sentence. In that time he runs into Oscar "The Master" (David Carradine looking very old and raggedy). He gets The Master to train him in lethal street fighting so he can be rape-proof in jail.This comedy proceeds to a rather prescient message about the prison warden trying to sell the prison so he can develop his real estate dreams - and he needs "Big" Stan to assist. Meanwhile Stan has made gazillions of pals in jail because he has already saved one or two helpless young inmates and beaten the crap out of everybody. (I was happy with the presence of the beautiful Jackson Rathbone as one of the helpless young inmates. This kid can fit in anywhere, but he got his first major screen time with this role.)The humor is extremely crude - but it is in the stratosphere compared to jackass things like JACK-ASS - and it's very dark, subtle, it is sometimes lost in the storyline. That is not really a bad thing, just evidence of Schneider being a little wet behind the ears.The cast is surprising though not stellar: I actually choked up a bit seeing Henry Gibson, an old favorite comic. I thought he was dead! But this ended up being Gibson's final film. Marcia Wallace makes a cameo appearance, and Kevin Gage is brilliant here. The old stand-by Scott Wilson as the warden is one of the creepier, more realistic elements of the film.I howled through most of the movie, thought it was funny and of course I liked the martial arts aspect, with Carradine poking fun at himself; I was thrilled with a special cameo by Dan Inosanto (who choreographed also). Real life 'mixed martial arts' fighters Randy Couture, Don Frye, and Bob Sapp had prominent roles as well.Matt Farley, who is Schneider's brother-in-law, and Schneider's mother Pilar also make appearances. For some reason I found that rather delightful. And frankly, I never really cared for Rob Schneider other than his over-the-top performance in ANIMAL.All I can say is either you'll love Schneider's humor or you won't. I thought it pretty good and for the overall quality of the film, I think it was poop-canned unfairly.

2012-05-23 03:41:29

Big Stan

This is one of the funnier movies I have seen this year.I thought this movie would be vulgar (not that I would have been offended)but was suprised that it was pretty mild on vulgar & packed full of funny.I watch a lot of movies & give this one an A+.

midtra52 2012-05-22 15:40:40

One of the best comedies I've seen.

I know it may sound crazy, but I thought this was one of the bestcomedies I've seen. I don't see how there's not more of an interest inthis movie to be honest.Well the movie definitely plays of Rob Schneider's fear of anal rape,which makes for a hilarious setup. The interactions between Schneiderand "the master" are hilarious. David Carradine can really do aboutanything. He was incredible in Kill Bill and he plays this partperfectly as well.All I can say is if you watch this movie and don't laugh you might needto get your sense of humor checked out. That or you're too young andyou shouldn't be watching it anyway!

jimrin 2012-05-16 16:55:09

Better than average Rob Schneider movie...

If you think about a typical Rob Schneider movie, this might not be toodifferent than what you might expect. However, there are 3 things whichreally stand out in this film to make it an above average (RobSchneider) movie:1. David Carradine. It was great to see him and he played his rolewell. 2. The fight scenes in this movie were actually pretty good. 3.Rob Schneider obviously did some bulking up for his role.The story was decent, the script was above average, all the supportingcharacters did a good job as well. Overall, it was an entertainingmovie, keeping in mind that the bulk of the movie takes place in aprison, so you get a lot of prison humor.

kunoichi5 2012-05-16 09:07:20

Loved this!! Big Stan takes on the martial arts genre and prison movies!

Rob Schneider proved his mettle with this movie. Not only did he actwith perfect comedic timing, but directed the flick as well!! I firststarted watching his work on SNL like everyone else, but grew to loveit when he did "Deuce Bigalow" movies. Those movies I could watch overand over again and "Big Stan" is no different.For me, it takes true comedic talent to make me actually laugh out loudand Rob Schneider delivers. Every time.Having the late, great David Carradine in this flick is just priceless.Carradine also delivers perfectly as "The Master". He has always been ajoy to watch. He proves he can do comedy as well as drama and actionmovies. Loved watching him in this and only made me sad at his passingall the more.I would really love to see more trivia on this great flick, but morecomments as well.I recommend this movie to anyone who just wants to laugh!

MLDinTN 2012-05-16 02:35:14

could one man really turn a bunch on convicts into sissies?

The central joke of this Rob Schneider movie is prison rape. He playsStan, a man that gets 3 years in jail, but has 6 months before going toprison. So he hires The Master to teach him how to protect himself inprison. Stan also has hot wife Mindy whom says she'll wait for him.Some of the funnier scenes are with the Master and his training and hissmokes.Once Stan gets to prison he gets an offer from the warden for an earlyrelease. Meanwhile, he beats up the biggest, baddest guys there, andsoon becomes the most respected, even though he's so little. He evenbans rape while there. Hijinks ensue in jail and will Stan turn on hisnew friends? FINAL VERDICT: If you like gross jokes, then this is up your alley

De_Priester 2012-05-15 18:38:44

A genius comedy and prison the way it should be.

I've seen many comedy movies in my life, some good and some bad. Somecomedy movies involve large quantities of drugs or nudity to supportthe humor. This movie however shows that with the right amount of goofand whit you can make a most excellent comedy. Big Stan tells the storyabout a con artist that finds himself a ticket to prison for fraud.This very skinny (please make sure to watch his legs) guy has tosurvive in prison. Without telling too much about the story involved,this movie makes sure you have a good time. There is a great cast andeven the smaller roles are cast with effort. This movie makes you wishevery prison out there had their own Big Stan! There aren't many moviesthis funny and sadly lacking a lot of publicity this movie is a gemamong the many lacking comedies.I think a lot of people will findsomething they like in this movie. Humor is the most difficult thing totransfer across cultures, but this movie has a little something foreveryone. From people enjoying easy humor found in stoner comedies tothose who love Mr. Bean, this movie uses a great blend of humor.This movie will make you laugh beyond a doubt, try it and find your ownfunny bone.

2012-05-12 18:13:39

Very funny!

Rob Schneider films can get a little corny, boring, dumb. But this one really hit it out of the park. It was very funny.

2012-05-12 15:38:18

Amazing

this is easily one of the funniest movies i have seen in years. the storyline is refreshing and the actors are great.

2012-05-11 14:02:56

Highly recommended

Very funny movie, with lots of different situations related to going to prison.Very glad that David Carradine is in this film, great to see the originalkung fu star is still acting and having fun. I hope they make lots ofmoney on this one as a way to stick it to the studio that did not wantto release his movie to the theaters. Also in the extras you can see thatthey worked hard and had fun at the same time...its shows in the movie.Good for a keeper.

2012-05-10 19:28:23

One attempt at a joke spread way too thin

The basic "joke" that this movie seems to be centered around is that in prison, you will be sexually violated. ANd this is repeated over and over and over and over. Does Schneider think that by repeating this, it will eventually get a laugh? It doesnt. But Big Stan becomes a hero when he is sent to prison and saves everyone from this act....because "it just isnt fair". Sorry Rob, it still isnt funny.

tavm 2012-05-06 16:26:00

Big Stan was an okay comedy directed by star Rob Schneider

Just watched this direct-to-DVD release with my mom, who laughed duringmuch of this one while I laughed a little less than her myself though Ididn't think this was a complete waste of time. Rob Schneider directshimself in this movie adequately and gets some pretty good support fromHenry Gibson, M. Emment Walsh, Jennifer Morrison, and as The Master ina parody of his iconic role in the TV series "Kung Fu", DavidCarradine. There's a cameo appearance by Rob's mom near the end. Inthis going-to-prison type movie, there's some amusing lines and scenesconcerning stereotypes of homosexuals and various races and theobligatory body parts. Like I said, some of the material is funnythough nothing original happens here. So on that note, Big Stan is anagreeable time-waster if you're willing.

Nemanja Cosovic 2012-05-06 15:07:33

First funny thing I saw in a while... Congratz to Rob, Jennifer and David

I don't know how this movie went under the radar but I'm glad I watchedit just now.I thought Rob Schnider was finished after the Animal, that movie wasjust wasn't good. It had some good skits, but that was all.This movie features two actors I truly like Jennifer Morrison and DavidCarradine. And they were pretty damn good in this one.You can see when a movie has a heart, it cant be faked with CGI andawesome shots, it just has that something, an X factor I guess.My standards are for movie not to be stupid or insulting to the viewer(like many are unfortunately), and I figure, by now, I can spot what isa movie worth watching. This one, most definitely is.On the side note, best comedy prison movie is Mean Machine (UK movie),this one ranks number 2.

2012-05-06 01:40:48

A Hilarious Comedy AND a credible action film

This review is from: Big Stan (DVD) I've seen and was amused by other Rob Schneider movies so I knew the type of slapstick humor to expect from "Big Stan".I winced a bit at the more overt sex jokes and crude language compared to Rob's other films but I suppose that crudeness is not much different from the "American Pie" series or many Judd Apatow or Seth Rogen movies. I chose to allow myself to enjoy the movie and have some wow moments -1) The gags were laugh-out-loud funny as expected.2) A pleasant surprise was that the film also worked as a credible action film, especially Rob's scenes showing skills in arnis-kali, nunchaku, and sticky-hands (Chisao) sparring. Having Simon Rhee, Dan Inosanto and the guy who played the Vietnamese villain (obviously a genuine martial artist) added to the credibility.3) David Carradine was brilliant as usual and I thought it was a real coup to have him in this movie.4) The final Wow moment was finding out that Rob directed the movie as well and that this was his first directorial stint. The movie was quite polished and tight for a first-time director.Of course this is not art. But it's brilliant entertainment.More power and more movies to Rob Schneider!

2012-05-05 22:42:00

Very funny!

Ok, I admit it...I'm a closet Rob Schneider fan. His movies are just silly and fun entertainment and I love to laugh at them. Of all the Rob Schneider movies, I would rank this at #3, first being 'The Hot Chick', second is 'Deuce Bigelow'. It is definitely better than 'The Animal'. I was surprised that this was shelved for a couple of years yet 'The Animal' made it to the theaters? The scenes with David Carradine as The Master were a hoot!

2012-05-05 17:54:35

If you like Schneider, then you should get a load of this...

This review is from: Big Stan (DVD) In a nutshell: Think of the recent Stallone movie EXPENDABLES. Now tell Rob Schneider to take a comparable cast to act out an immature plotline. Have him and his writing team add their own special brand of comedy. liked it. Enjoy BIG STAN. I enjoyed it.

haldunwiz 2012-05-05 01:16:12

I was pleasantly Surprised!! A+++

This one was actually one very funny movie indeed....The fact that Bobactually KNOWS KUNGFU helped the believability a whole lot! A lot of sexual talk and innuendo without nudity? Yes, apart from Bob'sown naked butt, which I personally didn't find offensive :D....Story is not the most original, but who cares when it is executedwithout flaw, the acting, sets and people are actually believable...NOT TO BE MISSED!I would see it again and would probably laugh my ass off just as much.As a matter of fact, I think I am actually going to watch it againtonight.

Mark K 2012-05-02 16:26:59

Better than expected

We usually like Rob Schneider's movies, but I had never heard of this one and the DVD made it look very low budget. Granted, it was lower budget than most of his other movies, but that didn't detract from the quality of the film. It was very well written, well acted, and very funny.If you just want to kick back and have a good time, this movie should fit the bill. Bear in mind, you probably have to be a Rob Schneider fan to fully enjoy it.

wiseguyro 2012-05-01 20:59:48

Better than usual for Schneider

Considering he's done The Animal and Deuce Bigalow 1 and 2, I wasn'texpecting much from Schneider's Big Stan, especially since this is hisdirectorial debut. I did not know much going into the theatre, exceptwhat I saw in the trailer.Much to my surprise this turned out to be an OK waste of time, butnothing more. It's just another prison comedy, with a small twist. Theincarcerated main character has 6 months to prepare for "doin' time".It's nice to see Carradine pop up here and there parodying his otherkung fu related works, and this time sending an anti-smoking messagewhile consuming a life time supply of cigarettes. All through the movieI kept trying to remember where do I know the actress that plays Rob'swife from. Then it hit me. None other than Jennifer Morrison of HouseM.D.. She looked hot in this movie, but I feel she should make betterchoices in the future.All in all a decent comedy, a better than expected, but shaky,direction from Schneider. This should be perfect for a weekendafternoon once it comes out on DVD.