The movie is Barrymore’s, of course. Even after the initial jolt of seeing her as a cursing hellion and an ambitious hanger-on wears off, she does not disappoint.
63
Slant MagazineMark Hanson
Slant MagazineMark Hanson
The film allows the scion of one of Hollywood’s most notable families to interrogate her relationship with celebrity in self-aware fashion.
As movies go, The Stand In certainly isn't a headliner. Yet like its title character, the movie and its star get about as much mileage as they can out of this opportunity.
Whatever The Stand In wants to announce itself as, no amount of bald-faced lies and winking observations about Hollywood can change what it really is: a bad movie, made worse by all the wasted possibilities.
Ultimately, the only respectable thing that remains consistent throughout The Stand In is the beguiling appeal Barrymore brings to both of the personalities, even though neither of them is particularly likable.
25
RogerEbert.comNell Minow
RogerEbert.comNell Minow
The film meanders somewhere between comedy-ish and drama-ish, never managing either.