Big Stan (2007)
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A real estate con artist seeks to survive a prison sentence by training with a mysterious martial arts guru.
The story
Stan Minton, a wealthy real estate con artist, is sentenced to three years in prison for conning elderly people. Before his incarceration, he becomes fearful of prison violence and seeks out training to defend himself. After initially failing at a local dojo, he is approached by a mysterious guru known as The Master. The Master transforms Stan into a martial arts expert, preparing him for his arrival at the Oaksburg State Correctional Facility. Upon entering prison, Stan begins to navigate the complex social hierarchy and gang activities while preparing to use his new skills to survive the harsh environment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Stan Minton, a real estate con artist, is sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding the elderly. Before his sentence begins, he is terrified of prison rape and seeks out a mysterious martial arts guru, The Master, who trains him to become an expert. In prison, Stan befriends an inmate named Larry and a guard named Bullard. He eventually uses his martial arts skills to bring peace to the prison yard, becoming a leader of the inmates. However, the corrupt warden Gasque wants to close the prison to sell the land and tries to provoke a riot. Stan is pressured to help Gasque with real estate deals in exchange for early parole but eventually chooses to return to the prison to protect his fellow inmates from violence. During a final confrontation, Stan defeats another student of the Master, Dang, and prevents a massacre. He discovers that the prisoners have actually embraced his message of peace and are dancing. Warden Gasque attempts to shoot Stan but is stopped by Mindy and the Master, who had secretly trained Mindy during Stan's imprisonment. Three years later, Stan is released to find that Bullard is the new warden, Gasque is now an inmate, and the Master has become a nanny for Stan's daughter, Mindy Jr.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Schneider
- Writers
- Josh Lieb · writer
- Cast and characters
- Rob Schneider · Big Stan Minton; Jennifer Morrison · Mindy Minton; Scott Wilson · Francis Gasque; Henry Gibson · Larry / Shorts; Richard Kind · Mal; Sally Kirkland · Madame Foreman; Jackson Rathbone · Robbie; M. Emmet Walsh · Lew Popper
- Genres
- martial arts; prison comedy
- Themes
- Peace; Martial Arts; Consequences of Crime
- Tone and mood
- Comedy; Action
- Premise and plot tags
- Prison; Martial Arts; Comedy; Crime
- Reception
- The film received largely negative reviews, with critics criticizing its humor and performances. It debuted at number 17 on the DVD rental charts in March 2009.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 11%; MovieHole · score: 3.5 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- This film was Henry Gibson's final role before his death in 2009.; Rob Schneider's mother Pilar makes a cameo appearance as one of the board of governors.; Wes Takahashi, former animator and visual effects supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic, makes a cameo appearance as a bartender.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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