A Review of Something
to Stand For by Olszyk
Distribution Service: Fathom Events
MPAA Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
USCCB Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating, Three Reels
In the
1990s, Mike Rowe was a low-profile actor and voice performer known for his
gritty tone and common man appearance. He was thrust into the limelight with
his Discovery Channel hit Dirty Jobs which also jump-started his
interest in middle America and trade activism. In Something to Stand For,
he goes back to the radio shows of the 20th century to highlight
some of forgotten heroes of our country’s past. It’s an odd presentation for a
cinematic format but seen in a casual way is an effective reminder that we are
all called for greatness and our heritage is worth preserving.
Rowe begins
with a reflection about the many monuments that have been torn down recently.
Like many Americans, he was troubled by the attack on symbols of the heroes of
our past. Like Dirty Jobs, he stays far away from politics but instead
presents the stories of a half dozen American heroes to remind his audience why
they have monuments.
He presents these stories as a
mystery, not telling his audience the person’s identity but leaving them to
gradually discovery the identity. For example, his first story involves a US
president weighing whether to order a strategics strike on a group of Islamic
terrorists. Through reenactments, we are led to believe this is probably
occurring in the 1970s, maybe the Iranian hostage crisis. At the last moment,
it is revealed the president is actually Thomas Jefferson, who created the
Marine Corps to protect Americans from being enslaved by North African pirates.
It’s a clever way to hold the audience’s interest while also making connections
between the past and the present.
The greatest strength of Something
to Stand For is Rowe himself, a master storyteller and presenter with well
over 30 years’ experience doing just this kind of presentation. I was reminded
of Bill Whittle’s fantastic What
We Saw series; few people can keep attention through sheer talent of
uncovering a compelling tale. Everything else – the dramatizations, the
camerawork, the interviews – are passable but not especially noteworthy.
Despite introducing his heroes in
the context of falling monuments, he doesn’t revisit the subject much and
spends even less time discussing its morality. The idea is that the lives of
these heroes speak for themselves, and all of us should have more gratitude for
the sacrifices they made. It’s effective for reminding those already invested
in the heritage of our country, but I am skeptical of its ability to sway those
who are causing the damage. Unfortunately, these deconstructionists rarely have
an appreciation for history and even less interest in gratitude for anything.
They are perfectly comfortable drinking a ten-dollar latte from an
international corporation while ranting about the evils of capitalism. Frankly,
the only solution to their vandalism is imprisonment, or, even better,
community service fixing the structures they have marred.
Mike Rowe ends his film in a
bizarre fashion I have only seen once prior. He flashes a QR code on the screen
and tells the audience to let him know if they want more productions like this.
I liked the film but couldn’t work up the voluntary muscular movement to lift
my phone out of my pocket. This production would be amazing as a weekly video
podcast in the 20-minute range, and, oddly enough, he already has a good start. As a feature film it
was a little slow and too minimal. Stick to what you are good at, which is a
lesson he would appreciate.
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