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Drew Barrymore has been a fixture in Hollywood her entire life—and she’s been in the spotlight since appearing in E.T. when she was just six years old. So if anyone knows about the ups and downs of the industry, she does. And she explores them from two different perspectives in her latest comedy, The Stand In.
The Stand In stars Barrymore in a double role. Actress Candy Black is known as much for her physical comedy as she is for her difficult personality. After an on-set meltdown, she disappears from the public eye for five years, until she’s ordered to go to rehab. But Candy has no interest in leaving the house, so she hires her former stand in, Paula, to go in her place. Once Paula slips into Candy’s life, though, she’s reluctant to give it up—and Candy is all too happy to let her keep it.
As Paula steps into the spotlight and Candy (now known as her real name, Cathy) steps out, the story follows the characters and their not-so-surprising transformations. Once an out-of-control celebrity with mood swings as wild as her comedy, the reclusive former actress has found peace and contentment in her first love: carpentry. She hasn’t been to a salon in years, and she couldn’t care less. And while she definitely hasn’t lost her cynicism, at least she’s stopped throwing things at people’s heads.
Paula, meanwhile, quickly transforms from the over-sweet and naïve wannabe actress to a bold and confident celebrity, gleefully apologizing for someone else’s offenses all over national TV. As you might expect, the results of her new-found fame aren’t pretty—and Barrymore’s performance as Paula can sometimes be painfully over-the-top.
This is certainly an interesting dual role for someone who knows all too well the kinds of effects that fame and fortune can have on a person—and Barrymore shows some heart and vulnerability in her performance as the former star. Unfortunately, though, the story isn’t especially solid, and the comedy often falls flat. It does have some entertaining moments, but it has a whole lot of cringe-worthy moments, too.
The Stand In definitely has a lot to say about the effects that celebrity can have on a previously kind and thoughtful human being. That does make it an interesting movie—though, even with twice the Drew Barrymore, it isn’t quite as laugh-out-loud funny as it could be.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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