Stanley's Gig

Longtime ukulele enthusiast Stanley (William Sanderson) has a small dream of playing his ukulele on a cruise ship to Hawaii. He is invited by an administrator (Stephen Tobolowsky) to play for some seniors at a home, as a form of music therapy. They love his music because he plays all the old songs they know. He meets a cranky senior who used to be a pretty good jazz singer in her day (Marla Gibbs) and part of the film is his drawing her out to realize her talents again. He continues to visit her although she ignores him.

The other part of the story is Stanley trying in earnest to gain a place to perform on a ship, despite those making the decision thinking he and his instrument are old fashioned and corny. Stanley's status is also jeopardized by his alcoholism. He is helped by a friend (Faye Dunaway) who volunteers at the church, but she also is honest with him about his sometime childishness, which we see frustrates her.



A quirky little movie with some charm, with Sanderson taking an oddball lead role for a change instead of the oddball supporting characters he normally does. Gibbs' portrayal of a curmudgeon who softens is average. Although it contains a lot of clichéd characters and plot points, it's Stanley's upbeat attitude and love for his music that carry the film, he is a very well-rounded character.

Sanderson's lip synching while singing is badly done though, and the voice doesn't even match his in any way (he has a heavy southern accent). The filmmakers should have just kept Sanderson as the singer; if he was not that great a singer, it could show how and why Stanley never really made it big. It sounds as if Gibbs did her own singing though.