The Last Polka (1984) Reviews

This HBO comedy special is a send-up of Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz. Scorsese's film, it will be recalled, recorded the final concert of the rock group The Band. Polka deals with the rise and fall of that fabulous Lutonian twosome, the Schmenge Brothers. John Candy is Yosh Schmenge, and Eugene Levy is Stan Schmenge. "And ve are...der Happy Vanderers." This faux documentary traces the early lives of the Schmenge boys, their first successes on local Canadian television, and the ultimate dissolution of their accordian-dominated polka band. We are also permitted a few peeks at the Schmenges' private lives with their families, as they celebrate such venerated Lutonian customs as "The Exchanging of the Socks." An outgrowth of a recurring sketch on the old SCTV television weekly, The Last Polka also features veteran SCTVers Catherine O'Hara and Rick Moranis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi