An Uneven Fan-Driven Retelling Of A Familiar Story

In that regard, Stans, the brand new MTV-produced documentary created in shut collaboration with Eminem and Shady Movies, doesn’t cowl new floor. Any one who considers themselves an Em fan on even essentially the most floor stage won’t be supplied with new details about the Detroit legend. In truth, it leaves many of the aforementioned particulars out of the story solely. As an alternative, the movie gives a reasonably superficial meditation on the pitfalls of fame because it pertains to Em’s story, utilizing “Stan” as an inflection level within the better narrative. It’s a moderately disappointing and sanitized rehashing of considered one of leisure’s most well-worn success tales. Furthermore, the exposition from the “stans” don’t add lots of shade to the movie, as a substitute coming off as largely cringeworthy.

From the very starting, it’s clear that the supposed star “stan” of the dozen or so civilian interviewees is a Frenchman named Zolt. He introduces himself as “Zolt Shady” and wears an Eminem-inspired outfit, with a plain white T-shirt and a gray hoodie. He bears a gentle resemblance to Em and other people have mistaken him for Em prior to now. From there, the doc particulars how Eminem got here into stardom, with cameos from Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. They retell the story of how Iovine gave Dre a replica of The Slim Shady EP. As soon as he heard it, Dre flew Em out to Los Angeles to signal him. After all, 1999’s Slim Shady LP turned Eminem from a modestly in style native act to the most well liked new mainstream rapper since Snoop Dogg, one other product of a Dr. Dre co-sign.

Going into 2000, the movie’s tone shifts. That shift coincides with the discharge of The Marshall Mathers LP and “Stan.” The latter monitor and accompanying video chronicles an obsessed younger Eminem fan named named Stan. He writes a sequence of more and more unhinged letters, at one level suggesting he and Em ought to date. After not getting a response for six months, he kidnaps his pregnant girlfriend. He drives himself, his girlfriend, and their unborn little one off the facet of a bridge. After that, Em lastly begins writing a response letter earlier than realizing the story he heard on the information was Stan’s. Over 25 years later, the monitor stays a poignant commentary on the extremes of idol worship.

We additionally be taught that “Stan” additionally triggered among the interviewees to look inward. For good motive as effectively, as, in essentially the most diplomatic phrases potential, a few of these topics are Eminem followers to a frankly unsettling diploma. For instance, Zolt’s fandom led to him lacking three months of faculty in 2006 as a result of Proof‘s loss of life left him too distraught. When he is requested in regards to the distinction between himself and Stan, his solely response is that he is by no means killed his girlfriend.

There’s additionally Nikki, who holds the Guinness World File for having essentially the most tattoos of a single musician. As of 2021, she had 31 Em-related tattoos on her physique, 20 of which had been portraits. And Katie has labored at Gilbert’s Lodge for over a decade as a result of Eminem labored there in his youth. In an unintentionally humorous sequence close to the top of the movie, Em drives proper by Gilbert’s whereas the crew interviews Katie inside. As soon as once more, she is left empty-handed. Broadly, these actions are all off-putting. None of them appear notably self-aware both, although Em himself calls “Stan” a PSA towards these behaviors.

It’s attention-grabbing to contemplate “Stan” by a contemporary lens, particularly with its simple cultural impression. In 2017, the Oxford English Dictionary added it to their listing of a whole lot of hundreds of phrases, defining a stan as an “overzealous or obsessive fan of a specific celeb.” Today, it’s practically not possible to scroll by X or Instagram for longer than 10 minutes with out operating right into a self-described “stan account.” There, you’ll find them their favourite artists and placing down followers of different artists who might not even be followers of their favorites. Asking a Okay-pop “stan” if they like BLACKPINK or TWICE is the web equal of attempting to begin World Conflict III.

Past offering the echo chamber wanted for these stan accounts to proliferate, social media has additionally given individuals a false sense of proximity to these artists they love. Which is why Eminem’s extra lowkey fashion of coping with his superstardom seems like an “old-school” strategy. He hardly ever touches social media and solely clues followers in on as a lot as he needs them to know. Typically, that’s not loads.

With all of that in thoughts, it’s nonetheless irritating, however not sudden or unprecedented, that Stans is just not actually a dive into who Eminem is away from his music. Positive, Em is within the movie, however he’s not the principle focus in any respect. Let’s contemplate the movie’s chilly open, for instance. It options him strolling by the studio to sit down down and begin the interview. Audio clips of a number of followers asking questions on his private life and profession historical past play within the background of this stroll. Within the following 95 minutes, he solutions a grand complete of… zero of these questions. As an alternative, the highlight stays on the “stans.” Viewers have no idea these individuals, nor do we’ve the time to develop to care about any of them. 

Zolt, Katie, and Nikki are simply three interviewees, however they get essentially the most airtime. Their tales could also be compelling to some. Nonetheless, selling this as a movie the place one of many business’s most elusive artists (relative to his star energy) lastly solutions burning questions and it not being that in any respect in execution makes it very troublesome to put money into something they need to say. Nonetheless, we do get one genuinely touching second throughout all 100 minutes of Stans. Particularly, relating to the discharge of “Not Afraid,” and its standing as a monitor that impressed a number of interviewees to get sober. It’s a heartfelt sequence that speaks to the therapeutic energy of music and human resilience. Everybody who has needed to journey the street these people traveled deserves respect.

The movie concludes with the documentarians asking the “stans” in the event that they anticipated to satisfy Eminem on the conclusion of their interviews. Most of them gave iffy solutions that leaned towards “no.” They usually had been proper, as Em didn’t shock any of them together with his presence. Following that, we focus, as soon as once more, on Zolt. This time, it’s revealed that he’s just one who’s truly met Eminem, which occurred in France in 2013. Due to that, it’s becoming that he’d be the one who begins and ends every little thing. However even with the ending, the place considered one of them has truly met their man (to that time, as he did ultimately meet a few of them on the premiere), all of it feels a bit hole. Maybe that was the sensation of missed potential actually setting in.

General, Stans is a blended bag. As soon as it turns into clear that this isn’t actually the introspective documentary it was positioned as and is as a substitute primarily over an hour and a half of followers and mates speaking about how his music impacted them each personally and professionally (with mentions of parasociality, that satirically, come from among the most unhealthily hooked up individuals they may have presumably known as on), one can’t assist however really feel as if MTV and Shady Movies left one thing way more candid and shifting on the desk. If you’re a devoted Eminem fan that can’t reside with out new Em-related media, that is the movie for you. In any other case, utilizing the time spent watching this to as a substitute give one other front-to-back relisten to The Marshall Mathers LP could also be extra ideally suited.