Joe Dirt (2001)

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

OK, absolute silliness, yes. Yet, there was a depth to the movie that kept you intrigued, gripped.I watched this movie solely to see Christopher Walken's cameo and tag line threat. But by accident, gained an appreciation for David Spade who I have never paid much attention to in past.So once you come to grips with fact that this show is primarily a goofy comedy, and like many goofy comedies, plot weaknesses abound (why would one even expect a solid plot... duh). It is a succession of brilliantly executed comedic dialogues and settings. The naivety of the fireworks vendor's endeavors being a great example.And the fact that a number of more notable actors of the time would participate in the film (Christopher Walken, Rosanna Arquette, Dennis Miller), tells me that there was something more to it than just a silly slapstick comedy. They must have felt something bigger was being created. I feel it was. A bit of a classic that not only has clever antics, but a positive, uplifting message.I would recommend it.

"Joe Dirt" offers a lot of laughs, which is the raison d'être of any comedy. And there are many different types of humor: sight gags, 1-2-3 punches, pratfalls, ridicule, absurdities, etc. Some of the humor is broad, raunchy, burlesque and low-brow, but other humor is fairly sophisticated. Some jokes are laugh-out-loud funny, while others are subtle. On a jokes per minute scale, the film ranks among the top. The film has significant and substantial problems. It is difficult to decide which is worse: the title, the cover/poster art, or log lines like "He came. He cleaned. He conquered," or "Trailer trash wig-wearin' acid wash jean lovin' rock concert T-shirt sportin' hero." None really describes a movie that I would have expected to find particularly interesting and I made no effort to view the movie until fourteen years after its theatrical release, although I can remember seeing it at video shops and had several opportunities when I was at a loss for something amusing to view. The film is somewhat a parody of "Forrest Gump," which is also a title that says little about the movie's subject matter, unless one is familiar with the book. But the FG producers were somewhat limited by the book's title, whereas the producers of JD could have been more imaginative and incorporated a superlative, an action verb or a recognizable archetype. The promotional artwork relied heavily on an image of a guy holding a mop. People who mop fill a necessary function, but they're usually relegated to after hours when they present less of a nuisance and distraction. In Bangkok, it's impossible to get through a day without encountering about a dozen people sweeping or mopping. Thais sweep and mop everything at all hours of the day and night and still leave their shoes at the entrance. But the reaction is usually to avoid the individual, not take an interest in what or why they are pushing broom. The promo lines fall somewhere between misleading and uninformative. Joe doesn't really conquer. Everybody loves jeans. The wig is a recurring gag that doesn't work or would be much more effective if the hair were natural. It's a bit gross and makes no sense that an adult would wear the same wig worn as a child. JD shines a mirror on the rest of society and holds us up to ridicule for our prejudices, assumptions and tendencies to judge others by superficial standards. These societal prejudices are personified by a radio shock jock played by Dennis Miller who delivers a series of zingers that seem less and less funny as the audience develops sympathy for Joe. Lampooning the audience is a risky form of humor and JD does it adroitly. The viewer is placed in the uncomfortable position of recognizing ones own biases. The movie offers quite a few talented actors in supporting roles that they embrace and play to the hilt. Production values are more than adequate with a refreshing lack of jiggly-cam shots. It's really nice to watch a movie where the filmmakers have enough respect for their audience to plan their shots and use tripods or other support systems for their cameras.

Joe Dirt (2001): Dir: Dennie Gordon / Cast: David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Rosanna Arquette, Kid Rock: Joe Dirt proudly wheels a meteor down the street on a wagon. While eating his lunch on top of it, he makes ownership promises unaware that his suppose discovery is a large chunk of toilet waste. He is a white trash janitor abandoned by his parents and tells his story via radio. Director Dennie Gordon shows little promise as one idiotic scene follows another. Joe eventually finds his parents and discovers that they knew what viewers were aware of from the get go. David Spade is totally unsympathetic. Joe Dirt is even dumber than the poop scooping moron he played in Lost and Found. As a radio personality Dennis Miller appears anxious for Spade to say something remotely intelligent. Christopher Walken has the thankless role as a janitor in hiding. He should go into hiding after agreeing to be part of this junk. Rosanna Arquette appears at an alligator farm. Crude moments include dog testicles frozen to a patio. Kid Rock puts down his guitar to give us perhaps his biggest career blunder in appearing in what comes off as a really bad joke at his expense. Spade gets drenched in sewage, which is exactly where the film should be. Finally we are given a sex scene where he screams out, "Sister!" While locations are innovative, the witless screenplay lurks in the gutter. Better yet, dirt. Score: 1 / 10

Here we have a rather live action cartoon of a film. Cute and even sweet at times but little more. If watching a stereotype (mullet headed white trash) perpetuated and quite literally made fun of (by no less than Mr. DennisMiller himself..the only remotely good thing about this film) for 90+ min is your idea of hijinx then you will certainly enjoy this film. Imagine a cute skit that is made bad by the fact that it just goes on too long...and you will be well on your way to understanding why this film does not work. Honestly though saying I don't like the film feels un fair as Its clear I was not the intended audience...said audience would have to be 13 to 15.