JOE DIRT
Released: April 11, 2001
David Spade stars as Joe Dirt, an idiot who works as an oil weller who is on the search for his parents who abandoned him when he was a baby at the grand canyon. In what can only be described as a remake of "Forrest Gump", this movie was thrashed by the critics. Was it really so bad? No. And I'll tell you why... First of all, the gross-out humor is actually served up at a minimum, although there IS a scene involving a dog's testicles freezing to the porch. Did the story NEED that scene? Not really, because what we have here is a deftly written and heartfelt story. Spade's character really is just a guy trying to do the right thing. I actually started to feel for his predicament. Unlike many movies of this ilk, there is a soul burning inside that is genuine and also, entertaining and rewarding. I left the theatre feeling good. Also starring are Dennis Miller, Kid Rock, Fred Ward, Joe Don Baker, MTV's Carson Daly, Kevin Nealon plus "Pulp Fiction" vets Rosanna Arquette and Christopher Walken. Walken alone is worth the ticket price for is wacky portrayal of a school janitor. Co-written by Spade and produced by Adam Sandler's production house.
90 Minutes
Columbia/Sony