Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Stand In’ On Netflix, A Hollywood Satire Where We Get Double Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has built a career charming us in various comedies; Never Been Kissed, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, and Netflix’s zom-com Santa Clarita Diet have all left us wanting more. The Stand In, Barrymore’s latest comedy streaming on Netflix, sees the star take on double duty as an actress and her ambitious stand in.

THE STAND IN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Candy Black (Drew Barrymore) is a beloved comedy actress known for hits like Pippi Bongstocking, BMX Blackout, and Nun’s the Word, to name a few. She’s the queen of the box office and of nailing her catchphrase “hit me where it hurts!” every time she hits her mark on set (which usually involves falling face first into, well, something). When she has a substance-fueled meltdown on set that winds up injuring a co-star (Ellie Kemper), she effectively ends her career (and that of her stand in, Paula – also played by Barrymore).

Five years later, Candy now lives as something of a recluse, spending her days woodworking and carrying on a relationship over the phone with a carpenter named Steve (Michael Zegen). After she’s sentenced to rehab for tax evasion, Candy is terrified of losing Steve – so she comes up with a solution. Her down-on-her-luck stand in Paula will attend rehab for her. Despite a relatively smooth start, things soon get entirely out of hand with Paula, who dreams of living the life Candy enjoyed for all those years – and is willing to do just about anything to make that happen.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The Stand In feels like Drew Barrymore’s take on some of the lesser hits of her dear friend Adam Sandler, which is unfortunate – she’s capable of so much more.

Performance Worth Watching: Ellie Kemper in an eyepatch is some A+ stuff, even if it’s brief. She looks like she’s having such a good time with this ridiculous role, from her eye rolls at Paula on-set to her frowning deadpan on The Today Show as she explains her eyepatch.

Memorable Dialogue: I genuinely don’t think a single line from The Stand In stuck with me.

Sex and Skin: Some making out and talk of phone sex and “cock pie,” but not much sexy stuff here.

Our Take: Drew Barrymore is America’s Sweetheart. She can sell just about anything and I would buy it, but unfortunately, that is not the case for The Stand In, despite her best efforts. The Stand In doesn’t seem quite sure if it wants to be a satire or the very comedy it’s poking fun at, and the film’s identity crisis is ultimately what sinks it. Barrymore, even with a prosthetic nose and baby voice or disheveled hair and frown, really does give it her all, and it’s obvious why we’re all so drawn to her projects. But it’s not enough to save The Stand In.

The real bummer about The Stand In is that the premise is actually pretty strong, and with the cast it’s armed with (minus T.J. Miller), it really should have worked. Barrymore, Zegen, Holland Taylor, and cameos galore? There’s so much happening here. But Barrymore’s strange attempt at emulating her old friend Adam Sandler’s lesser flicks where he plays more than one character by affecting a silly voice and prosthetics just doesn’t really get a chance to work because of the film’s inability to decide what it is. There’s no real reason for this to be an R-rated comedy at all, and frankly, calling it a comedy feels generous; The Stand In flip-flops between comedy and drama so often that it’s enough to give a viewer whiplash.

If you’re in the mood for a Barrymore fix, may I recommend one of the aforementioned classics she has headlined, or her delightful morning show. Please spare yourself the bizarre, off-the-rails experience that is The Stand In. You (and Barrymore) deserve so much better.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Even Barrymore’s boundless charm can’t save The Stand In, a mean mess of a movie that doesn’t quite know what it is.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream The Stand In on Netflix