And it continues!
Movies I Should Have Already Seen! # 2
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
I am always a bit conflicted about David Spade. it isn't that I find his jokes unfunny, but that he puts off such a weaselly person that sometimes I don't feel I should laugh at his bits. Is his snark relevant or is it a bit too over the top? I like my David Spade in small bites, just like my Adam Sandler and pretty much everyone else from early 1990's Saturday Night Live.
I enjoyed Joe Dirt and I am not afraid to admit it! What really made it was the one-liners and the little bits that stay in your head. In an age shaped by quotable machines like Napoleon Dynamite, Joe Dirt seemed way ahead of its time. Who can dislike a movie where the main character, a redneck oaf goes around saying upbeat messages like "Life's A Garden. Dig it!" or "You can't have no in your heart!" Or a movie where motivation is found in "You're my sister! You're my sister!"or the latest copy of Autotrader Magazine. Sure, we laugh at Joe Dirt because he is crass, but he also has a little inkling of heart, which, of course, you can't have "no" in.
There is a fair amount of poop jokes and most are forgettable, except for the one involving the sheriff, ball peen hammer, and a septic tank. "It's just an old crapper tank from an Airstream, folks!"Inserting poop doesn't automatically make something funny, but in that scene, it just works, with Joe's own sincerity challenged by the reality that has, figuratively, crapped on him. The movie doesn't do very well with critics (11% on Rotten Tomatoes), but that shouldn't be a surprise. However, I think people are too quick to call this movie disposable. It has a heart and some surprises. You can't forget the mullets, crappy cars, and redneck jokes, but the actual movie has little to do with that. I am always so surprised how movie studios choose to advertise their movies. I guess an easy redneck skewering movie sells better than a slapstick journey. It easy to set up the movie as something that will have us laughing at the character, then empathizing. Joe never complains even though he has good reason too and this makes him likable. I guess this works especially well with the David Spade casting as he usually plays acerbic ninnies.
Peace!
I enjoyed Joe Dirt and I am not afraid to admit it! What really made it was the one-liners and the little bits that stay in your head. In an age shaped by quotable machines like Napoleon Dynamite, Joe Dirt seemed way ahead of its time. Who can dislike a movie where the main character, a redneck oaf goes around saying upbeat messages like "Life's A Garden. Dig it!" or "You can't have no in your heart!" Or a movie where motivation is found in "You're my sister! You're my sister!"or the latest copy of Autotrader Magazine. Sure, we laugh at Joe Dirt because he is crass, but he also has a little inkling of heart, which, of course, you can't have "no" in.
There is a fair amount of poop jokes and most are forgettable, except for the one involving the sheriff, ball peen hammer, and a septic tank. "It's just an old crapper tank from an Airstream, folks!"Inserting poop doesn't automatically make something funny, but in that scene, it just works, with Joe's own sincerity challenged by the reality that has, figuratively, crapped on him. The movie doesn't do very well with critics (11% on Rotten Tomatoes), but that shouldn't be a surprise. However, I think people are too quick to call this movie disposable. It has a heart and some surprises. You can't forget the mullets, crappy cars, and redneck jokes, but the actual movie has little to do with that. I am always so surprised how movie studios choose to advertise their movies. I guess an easy redneck skewering movie sells better than a slapstick journey. It easy to set up the movie as something that will have us laughing at the character, then empathizing. Joe never complains even though he has good reason too and this makes him likable. I guess this works especially well with the David Spade casting as he usually plays acerbic ninnies.
Peace!
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