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The Stand In (2020 film)

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Wikipedia article




'The Stand In' is a 2020 American romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit, written by Sam Bain, and starring Drew Barrymore, Michael Zegen, T.J. Miller and Holland Taylor. It was released on December 11, 2020.

Plot



Actress Candy Black once was a blockbuster comedic star. However, after years of drug abuse and anger issues, she's considered difficult. On 'Entrapment Baby's set, she refuses to work until her stand in Paula (also Barrymore) reveals the director may replace her with Melissa McCarthy. During the scene, her co-star Jenna Jones hits her with a solid marble statue instead of a breakaway bottle. In a rage, Black shatters an ashtray and a shard hits Jones' eye. The video goes viral, ruining her career.

Candy locks herself up in her Long Island mansion for five years, while facing many legal issues from her addictions and tax evasion. Her romantic pen pal relationship with Steve Grady, also passionate about Shaker carpentry is her one joy - however, she secretly writes as Kathy Tyler, her actual legal name. In May 2019, sentenced to months in rehab, may ruin her plan to finally meet. She asks her former manager Louis to find her former stand-in Paula, now a struggling actress living in her car. Inviting Paula to her mansion, Candy asks her to attend rehab for her. She agrees, only if Candy resumes acting, with Paula as her stand-in.

In rehab, Paula meets director's assistant Ingrid, who offers her a cameo in a reboot of their former collaboration 'Saddle Up'. Upon release, Paula tells Kathy, but she refuses because filming conflicts with her first date with Steve. Desperate to resume work, Paula, as Steve, messages Kathy, claiming to be married and severing contact. Then as Kathy, attending her first date with Steve, initially planning to break up with him, but quickly falls for and begins dating him.

Although the 'Saddle Up' cameo is still in limbo, Paula convinces Kathy that she does a series of six-figure talk show apology appearances. This puts Paula in contact with Louis (who doesn't know she's Paula), as well as their new publicist Simon. He asks her on a date and she accepts, but they are interrupted when Paula and Steve spot each other (Steve sees Kathy/Paula was Candy Black after watching her on a television interview). Paula and Steve go back to his apartment and have sex. Several days later, the 'Saddle Up' offer is a go.

Paula drugs Kathy to host another date with Steve at the mansion, dumping her in the backyard. During the date, Steve admits he is actually Larry Cooper from Ann Arbor, Michigan, infamous for accidentally peeing on the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial while drunk. Kathy's high drug tolerance results in a quick recovery from being drugged, so she enters the mansion bathroom to vomit. Steve narrowly misses seeing her there before he leaves. Kathy and Paula then have a physical fight, leading to Paula dragging Kathy outside, locking her out, and getting the police to remove the 'crazed stalker'.

Kathy seeks help from Louis. However, when he discovers Paula is who's been making Candy Black's comeback, he drops her for Paula. She then applies for a construction job as a carpenter, so she breaks into the mansion to retrieve some papers. Steve spots Kathy, and recognizes her voice from the phone. Paula walks in behind him, and the three are in the same room for the first time. Confusion ensues over their respective secret identities, and Kathy realizes Paula sabotaged her relationship with Steve to further their career. She storms out, and Steve dumps Paula to reunite with her.

Steve and Cathy go to his townhouse and start building a relationship, while Paula films for the 'Saddle Up' reboot as Candy Black. Uncomfortable doing the physical gags, Paula begs Kathy to resume working as Candy. She goes downstairs to personally refuse Paula's offer, and after complimenting her Method acting skills over the past few months, she gut-punches her for trying to sabotage her and Steve. As Kathy goes inside, a group of teenagers take selfies next to a downed Paula while she's down.

One year later, Paula is successfully working as Candy Black and dating her publicist Simon. She is shown in a beautiful gown, overwhelmed at a large movie premiere and acting out, showing she is now living through the celebrity stress Kathy wanted to get away from. No longer living in her own shadow, Kathy and Steve have a happy, quiet, successful life as woodworkers in a Shaker community.

Cast



* Drew Barrymore as Paula/Cathy Tyler/Candy Black

* Michael Zegen as Steve Grady/Larry Cooper

* Charlie Barnett as Simon

* Ellie Kemper as Jenna Jones

* Holland Taylor as Barbara Cox

* T.J. Miller as Louis

* Andrew Rannells as Nico

* Lena Dunham as Lisa

* Adrian Martinez as Reporter Banjo

* Michelle Buteau as Ingrid

* Richard Kind as Wes

* Dolly Wells as Second AD Daisy

* Graham Norton, Bridget Everett, Jimmy Fallon, Savannah Guthrie, Meghan McCain, Andy Cohen, Giuliana Rancic, Jason Kennedy, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest as themselves

Production



In February 2018, Drew Barrymore joined the cast of the film and served as a producer under her company banner, with Jamie Babbit directing from a screenplay by Sam Bain. In January 2019, Michael Zegen joined the cast of the film. In February 2019, Charlie Barnett, Ellie Kemper, T.J. Miller and Holland Taylor joined the cast of the film. Principal photography began in New York City in January 2019. In February, filming took place in Lexington and Versailles, Kentucky.

Release



It was scheduled to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2020. However, the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, Saban Films acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on December 11, 2020. It was released on Netflix on April 10, 2021.

Reception



The film received negative reviews from film critics. It holds approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on reviews, with an average of . The website's critics consensus reads: "Despite impressively committed work from Drew Barrymore in a dual role, 'The Stand In' struggles to find the humor in a premise with no shortage of comedic potential." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 38 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

References




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