Watch Joe Somebody For Free

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Joe Somebody is one of those movies where we're supposed to believe it's a movie for kids based on its PG-rating and do not consider the story, plotting, or events as something that will interest youngsters. I know if I was nine or ten years younger and saw this film, I would've been bored to tears. Its moral-heavy nature, bland ideas, and two-dimensional characters would've been of no interest to me. This is likely why I sought out films like Clerks and Rat Race, instead of Joe Somebody, to find a more exciting source of entertainment. At age six, you couldn't drag me to this film.And thus, I sought it out when I was older for a cockamamie fulfillment on my curiosity's behalf. All I can say is that I've made much worse decisions in my life - much wiser ones too. Joe Somebody is a wholesome, competent exercise in family filmmaking, yet its premise is dull, its drama is lukewarm, its messages/morals are jumbled, and we end on a hokey note with the only thing to truly think about being the asinine, cutesy little "twist" (employing that word loosely).Tim Allen stars as Joe Scheffer, a hard-working everyman who is recently going through divorce, suffering a distinct lack of appreciation at his cubicle-job, despite ten years of employment. One "Take your daughter to work" day he's anxiously going to show his little girl (Hayden Panettiere) the people there, but the problem ensues from when he tries to park in his lot. The spot is taken by a narcissistic oaf (Patrick Warburton), who shouldn't even be parking in the lot because it's reserved for those who have worked at the place for ten-plus years. When Joe tries to confront the man, he is punched twice in the face, being shamed in front of the office and his daughter. Even though it's relatively early in the film, this scene works as we truly sympathize with Joe and his predicament. Can you imagine such a disrespectful, unnecessary blow (no pun intended) to your ego, let alone one in front of someone who looks up to you? The scene, in a loose sense, is kind of heartbreaking.However, sympathy is short-lived and familiarity begins to breed contempt faster than Joe's face returns to white and not red. Desperate for respect, yet too humiliated to come to work, there Joe sits in his home, drinking heavily and bleaching items in his home like a maid with OCD. With motivation from Meg Harper (Julie Bowen), his attractive coworker, Joe decides to get back on his feet, only this time, taking a ramshackle self-defense class taught by Jim Belushi, playing a hack action movie star.What unfolds is a predictable, unmemorable state of affairs involving Joe being taught how to defend himself, conquer fears, and be a more assertive male. There's nothing wrong with this story (when put with a sly writer and a confident director, it could've been quite the time), but what makes the story airless and impotent is the abrupt identity crisis it has with itself during the final act. Joe plans to fight the same idiot that punched him in an open field, which makes sense seeing how he was humiliated and is now being taught to be defensive. But wait; Meg believes it's wrong and Joe is how he is and manipulating your natural personality is wrong.Now we've walked into not only a morality issue, but a thematic issue all together. What moral is Joe Somebody communicating? Is it wrong to fight back in a situation where you've been humiliated and ashamed, or is it right to let everything go? The film shows both in a positive, life-affirming light. So which one do we walk away with? Having a movie go back on its theme is a crucial blow to not only its likability, but also, its purpose.As far as performances go, Allen is okay in his role as Joe, kind of uninspired and rather unremarkable, much like his character, and Bowen's value stems only as her role as a good love interest here. Other than that, performances can't be the saving grace here.Joe Somebody was directed by John Pasquin, who manned the camera in two other Tim Allen projects, those being The Santa Clause (unseen by me) and the loathsome Jungle 2 Jungle. While Pasquin is clearly intentioned on making this a favorable parable, it quickly spirals into predictable situations and uninspired banter between characters who are nice enough to spend fifteen to twenty minutes with, but ninety-eight minutes begins to stretch the line of tolerance.Starring: Tim Allen, Julie Bowen, Hayden Panettiere, Patrick Warburton, and Jim Belushi. Directed by: John Pasquin.

I have now managed to finally catch all of JOE SOMEBODY, the tale of an anonymous office schnook (Tim Allen) who challenges the office bully (Puddy from SEINFELD) to a fight in the company parking lot. Sound familiar? Allen is only moderately entertaining in the nebbish role, although the very cute Hayden P. is on hand as his sensitive and very bright daughter. The laughs do not exactly roll along as the director tries to walk a fine line between comedy and mawkish drama. The best parts of the film concern Allen training under a has-been actor and martial arts "master" played by the thoroughly out-of-shape Jim Belushi. Seeing Allen get slapped around by the beer-swilling Belushi somewhat helps make up for all of the terrible films Allen has appeared in over the last 20 years. Some of the quieter moments involving Allen and a sympathetic office colleague played by Julie Bowen also are worth a look. As a whole, the film is too long and boring. The ultimate showdown between Allen and Puddy is not worth sitting through the whole thing.

So our hero is just too honourable to fight...The baddie gets off free, (he'll think about forgiveness later...) all ends with sweetness and light, and the unicorns exchange nuzzles and kisses......Welcome to Wussville, population - USA.Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan - at least the Roman Empire went down fighting,the USA gets Tim Allen brushing away a (manly) tear.So this guy goes into a biker bar and gets thrown out on his rear end. He goes to Japan and studies three years with the best karate expert in the world - by the end he can break paving slabs with his bare hands. So one night he strolls back into the biker bar - and this time he gets hurt so bad they throw him out right across the street. As he lies there in the blood and mucous - he reaches out and breaks a paving slab with his bare hands....Worst movie ever - thanks Hollywood.

Tim Allen may have top billing, and his character's name in the title, but it's Hayden Panettiere as his sharp daughter that is the best thing about Joe Somebody. She played the young firecracker of a daughter to the white coach in Remember the Titans and she shows the same skill as a thoughtful and far too smart girl in this. That's not bad for a girl of eleven. The rest of the movie plays like a bad after school special with pat morals. The entire plot is about a guy being b*tch slapped in the parking lot by a co-worker, learning how to fight from a washed up action star, and finding out that he wasn't that bad of a guy to begin with. Aww. It's not a bad moral, but it's always handled as subtly as an anvil to the head. Tim Allen is a comedian, not an actor. He just doesn't have the skills to pull of some of the more emotional scenes in any of his movies. This was a poor choice for him and exposes his weak range. One thing is easy, he gives up on the fight for his daughter, and I am there with him, she is the only reason to sit through this.