Joe Dirt

Directed by Dennie Gordon
Starring: David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Dennis Miller, Adam Beach, Christopher Walken, Jaime Pressly, Kid Rock.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, and for language.

Review by Lauren Snyder <lauren@filmhead.com>
April 29, 2001

Every so often, I wish that I could hold the job of "Film Direction Consultant". People could call me up, show me a movie, and I could say, "What the heck is this movie supposed to be? Is it magical realism? Is it an action film? 'Cause it's not working as either." Yes, this dream job of mine would allow movie execs to realise, "Hey, this thing's gotta be re-edited." The bonus for me would be not having to go see films like Joe Dirt.

It's not bad per se; it's just misguided. It's billed as a comedy, but plays as a sentimental journey-of-life picture. Despite plenty of violence and sex, it's obviously supposed to be for the 8-12 set, since the theatre boasted a lot of audience members that age. In fact, for one woman and her children, this movie was a substitute for Freddy Got Fingered, as her son is a big Tom Green fan but she wouldn't bring him into an R-rated film. I consoled her by telling her how bad that film was, though I should've told her to check out Spy Kids instead.

Isn't it terrible that I'm mentioning other movies in the Joe Dirt review? The sad thing is that I enjoyed the previews for other films more than the film itself. The trailers for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Tomb Raider, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone were especially incredible, and the Animal trailer was interesting because of Colleen "The Blistex Queen" Haskell's first acting gig. I could go on about the low points of Joe Dirt: Dennis Miller playing... Dennis Miller for the 47 millionth time, Carson Daly appearing like the screen whore he is, the crappy set-up, the labored sight gags, the manipulation, the wire I spotted in a scene where Joe is spit out by an alligator...

...or I could mention the good points: David Spade is fairly likeable; Kid Rock is totally believable as a white trash villain; Christopher Walken does the voodoo that he does so well; there's a couch that looks like my ex-roommate's couch (hey, it was a comfy couch!); and there are some amazing trailers. My suggestion? Save your $5-10 for a ticket to one of those kick-ass summer films. Can't wait 'til June!

Here's some merchandise for sale at

Joe Dirt (2001)	-- VHS
Joe Dirt (2001)	-- DVD
Joe Dirt: Soundtrack	-- Compact Disc

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