'Stans' Review: A Tribute to Eminem’s Impact or a Cringe-Fuelled Fan Obsession?
- Jack Ransom
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Jack Ransom - September 4, 2025
Stans reveals a group of superfan's intense personal connection to iconic rapper Eminem and his profound influence on their lives, pop culture and the music landscape. The documentary also shows fandom's power to forge identity and community.
Like millions of others, I’m a huge fan of Eminem’s music and The Marshall Mathers LP bridged the gap for me to start getting into hip-hop and rap when I was near exclusively listening to rock and metal. Ever since then I have cleared his discography (including D12) and probably most of his guest appearances. I was slightly sceptical about this documentary as the obsessed fan angle did come off as potentially very cringey. And as a major sufferer of second-hand embarrassment, I did prepare myself for that.
Whilst the cringe factor is on display at times (one fan was too upset to function for days after Proof - Em’s best friend and D12 band mate - passed away, styling themselves to walk, talk and act like him around where he used to live, getting a job for ten years at the diner he used to work at with at the thought that he may pop in…), you can’t deny how much Mr. Mathers’ work has resonated with this group. They are incredibly honest and emotional in retelling the key songs and lyrics that touched them. There is also a smattering of famous faces including Dr. Dre, Ed Sheeran, LL Cool J and Adam Sandler.
Is there enough of Eminem himself in the film?
I do wish there was more of Eminem himself (he only pops up a handful of times as he is now) in this as the moments that stood out were the myriads of archive footage, live performances and snippets of his writing and recording process. As well as this it was interesting seeing the impact of his honest lyricism and not shying away from his mental health and vulnerability, that led to a spike in more rappers being open about these emotions. The melodramatic re-enactments do get a little cheesy at times (fun to see Stan, Devon Sawa appear) and whilst it’s functional and straightforward the talking head documentary format is very standard.
Is the documentary Stans worth watching?
Stans is a decent documentary that will appeal to big fans of Eminem but may also prove slightly disappointing. The glimpses into the mindset and process of the man himself, some genuinely raw and honest fan experiences and plenty of old footage make it worth a viewing, however it does fall into indulgence, cringe and being quite surface level at times.
'Stans' is available to stream now on Paramount+
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