Stanley's Gig

A slow starter, well worth hanging on to the end, Stanley's Gig is a beautiful, understated story of redemption, full of quiet humor and amusingly real characters. William Sanderson, an actor with a memorable voice and a forgettable face, was perfect as Stanley, a recovering alcoholic who has wasted much of his life, but finds his talent as a ukulele-playing music therapist at a drab Los Angeles nursing home. Marla Gibbs, as Eleanor, was equally effective as an aged jazz singer who reclaims her past. Faye Dunaway, in an uncharacteristically unglamorous role, plays Stanley's friend and another recovering alcoholic. The plot is thin, but it is not the plot that matters. Stanley, in his quirky way, brings pride to Eleanor's memories of her past and at the same time finds his way late in life. The reward is well worth the journey.

William Sanderson is not a name that people immediately recognize, but in this little film, Mr. Sanderson does an outstanding performance that held my attention. So many cliches in this film but so well done that one can readily forgive its predictability. It's not a matter of what is done, but just how well it's done. I looked at this film by chance, but I shall not forget it.

Stanley's Gig is one of the most unexpectedly moving and endearing films in a long while. So unpretentious that you could go right past it, but just stay with it a while and it unfolds in unexpected and marvelous ways. William Sanderson is a barely functional recovering alcoholic ukulele player who stumbles into a job as a musical therapist in an old age home. He so perfectly controls the movie in a quirky, shy way that the movie seems like dropping into a slice of real life.

Marla Gibbs has power and dignity without even speaking and a wonderful speaking and singing voice once she deigns to honor us with words. Faye Dunaway has a compassionate but small supporting role that does her proud.

Stanley's Gig is a gift of an hour and a half that will transform your heart for a while. What a joy to discover such a gem.

I always look for cute, interesting movies on Sundays. This is one of the best. The title character - Stanley is a quirky guy who plays the ukulele and sings. He needs a job and finds one as the recreational therapist at a retirement home. All of the characters have their own story which this movie tells each story in their own way and ties up any lose ends by the end of the movie - one of my personal pet peeves is don't introduce a storyline you aren't prepared to complete. Anyway, the acting is good - loved Marla Gibbs she was so good that you really didn't see Marla Gibbs - she was Elenor Whitney. The ukulele music was right in tune with the quirky movie, but the blues music sung by Marla Gibbs was sublime. Well worth watching a couple of times.

This was not a great movies. It wasn't even a really good one. But see it, anyway. William Sanderson is a character that you will never forget, and he plays the role with impeccable perfection. Forget about the defects in the film and the other characters who are less than great. Just sit back, with no expectations of anything great, and let Sanderson walk you through a nice but very simple story.