Jacki Weaver

The darkly comedic biopic The Polka King is a well made example of a “straight to Netflix” film. This “stranger than fiction” look at a former oom-pah-pah baron and Grammy nominee who perpetrated massive amounts of fraud in the 1990s is lean, fast paced, almost completely devoid of filler, and likely works better at home than it would in the confines of a theatre. Netflix is the perfect place for a film like The Polka King, and that’s not in any way a knock against the talent and effort that went into making it.

The crowds were lining the street as director David O. Russell and the cast of Silver Linings Playbook walked the red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall for the film’s debut at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.