In theaters as of July 27, Something to Stand For follows Dirty Jobs host, podcaster and storyteller Mike Rowe as he tells you “the rest of the story,” as radio host Paul Harvey used to say, surrounding tales of often-unsung heroes who built America.
What Is Something to Stand For About?
As Rowe said on his website:
The movie won’t resemble anything you’ve seen in a theater before. It isn’t a documentary, but neither is it a work of fiction. There are many actors, but none of them are famous, and there is no screenplay. At least, not in the traditional sense. And it doesn’t quite have the budget that Kevin Costner’s epic western has, which I’m told will premiere the same week. (Gulp)
The movie consists of nine short stories written for my podcast, all of which I present from the stage of an empty theater, and all of which have been brought to life with cinematic recreations.
Each story is a mystery of sorts, that tells you something you probably don’t know about someone you probably do – in most cases, a famous American who risked everything to give us the country we all call home. Your job, as viewers of my podcast know, is to try and figure out who I’m talking about before I get to the end.
…
Over the course of the film, I’ll drive to Washington DC, (Rowe’d Trip!) and meet with a few people who share my interest in our nation’s history, including the soldiers, Marines, and Park Rangers who look after our most beloved memorials and monuments.
These interactions, along with some delightfully unanticipated encounters, will play out between the aforementioned stories.
This Kind of Storytelling Is Not New for Mike Rowe
The format of Something to Stand For will be familiar to fans of Paul Harvey (whom Rowe names as an inspiration) and Rowe’s podcast and book called The Way I Heard It (I recommend the audiobook version, read by Rowe).
Rowe had also expanded on the podcast idea with The Story Behind the Story With Mike Rowe, his TBN series, currently in its fourth season, which he co-hosts with TBN president Matt Crouch.
He also tackled the tangled history of things and events in Six Degrees With Mike Rowe, on Discovery+ (and revisited Dirty Jobs, in a way, with Dirty Jobs: Rowe’d Trip for Discovery, which led to a revival of the show.)
In Something to Stand For, Dramatic recreations illustrate the stories, which, in true Harvey/Rowe fashion, often have unexpected endings and twists. Topics include the American Revolution, World War II, and the Civil Rights movement.
It’s an Election Year, But …
Rowe has said that, while the movie doesn’t get into current politics, “It will, however, be patriotic, and unapologetically so.”
On the website, he also said:
Though Something to Stand For is not a “political film,” it was inspired by the ongoing war on the symbols of America, a war of vandalism waged by those who believe the present can be improved by erasing the past. Obviously, I have no expectation that this movie will persuade anyone who dons a mask and defaces our national memorials to rethink their worldview, because I’m pretty sure none of those people will ever see this movie.
I do, however, believe there are lots of people on both sides of the aisle who are disgusted by their behavior and still love America, in spite of the imperfections of our founders, and the obvious fact we have not yet achieved the “more perfect union” they envisioned.
This movie is for them – that still sizeable population who identify as Americans, first and foremost. Americans of all races who genuinely care about our shared history, and understand that even though our nation is still a work in progress – and always will be – there are still a great many things worth standing for.
Fathom Events is distributing the film, a production of TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), the mikeroweWORKS foundation, and Impact Productions. Tickets are currently listed there for sale through July 4 — but Fathom has a habit of extending runs if a film is popular.
Click here or here to buy tickets, and take a look at the trailer:
Image: Mike Rowe/Fathom Events
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