Joe Somebody (2002) 3 stars
We rent a film most Fridays to go along with our weekly pizza. It has to be a kid-friendly film, and hopefully one we haven't seen in-theater recently. The pickings were slim last weekend, and I ended up renting Joe Somebody.
We missed Joe Somebody in theater, as the previews made it look just a little too goofy. I wasn't expecting a lot, and was prepared to read a textbook while the film was running.
I was moderately surprised to find that the film is worth watching. It's got a tight plot, smart dialog, and some good performances. Jim Belushi is great as the burned-out former action star turned karate instructor. Tim Allen and Julie Bowen turn in understated, touching performances. The film has the usual sarcastic kid (played by Hayden Panettiere) but in an unusual twist (for this kind of film) the kid is *not* trying to get her parents back together.
The premise is a bit ridiculous (a co-worker slaps Joe around in a parking lot in front of company personnel and doesn't get fired or cited for assault) but enough cues (the employee's leave of absence and anger management training, legal issues) are sprinkled through the script to prevent your bullshit detector from buzzing too loudly.
I don't expect Oscar-level performance from Tim Allen, but he's more than adequate here. Allen progresses from faceless corporate A/V nerd to obsessive-compulsive to fake hero to balanced individual without once chewing up the scenery or mugging for the camera. Jim Belushi takes a role that could have been intolerably zany and instead made the character thoughtful and interesting. And the standard obnoxious kid wasn't nearly as obnoxious as expected.
Most everything about this film could be described as "understated". Nothing goes over-the-top, gets crushingly maudlin, or embarrassingly silly. The story mostly works, the performances are mostly worth watching, and the dialog is worth listening to. It's not Gone with the Wind, but I don't always want to see Gone with the Wind.
I may rent Joe Somebody again sometime, or pick it up when it shows up in the cutout bin. A pleasant surprise.
Ron
http://roc85.home.attbi.com
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