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Movies / On DVD / Joe Somebody
Joe Somebody

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Joe Somebody (2001)

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Reviews Counted:83

Fresh:16

Rotten:67

Average Rating:4.1/10

Consensus: Amiable, but extremely lightweight and predictable.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Tim Allen reteams with director John Pasquin (THE SANTA CLAUSE) in JOE SOMEBODY. Allen stars as Joe Scheffer, a mild-mannered man who makes promotional videos for a Minneapolis pharmaceutical... Tim Allen reteams with director John Pasquin (THE SANTA CLAUSE) in JOE SOMEBODY. Allen stars as Joe Scheffer, a mild-mannered man who makes promotional videos for a Minneapolis pharmaceutical company. Joe is divorced and quietly unhappy until the office bully, Mark McKinney (Patrick Warburton), punches him out in the company parking lot, in front of Joe's precocious young daughter (Hayden Panettiere of REMEMBER THE TITANS). The humiliated Joe sinks into such a deep depression that not even the flirtations of the company's pretty "wellness coordinator" (Julie Bowen) can rouse him. Joe decides that he has to restore his pride by challenging McKinney to a fight, and suddenly finds himself the most popular man in the office. Joe even hires a washed-up action movie star (Jim Belushi in a hilariously grizzled performance) to teach him martial arts. He soon finds that he has to weigh the allure of his newfound popularity against the love and respect of those who liked him the way he was. Screenwriter John Scott Shepherd does a good job of balancing slapstick comedy with touching family drama. Allen shows surprising range, giving a strong and sympathetic performance as an emotionally complex and dynamic character. [More]

Starring: Tim Allen, Julie Bowen, Jim Belushi, Kelly Lynch

Starring: Tim Allen, Julie Bowen, Jim Belushi, Kelly Lynch, Hayden Panettiere, Greg Germann, Patrick Warburton

Director: John Pasquin

Director: John Pasquin
Screenwriter: John Scott Shepherd
Producer: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson, Matthew Gross, Ken Atchity, Brian Reilly
Composer: George S. Clinton
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Joe Somebody

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The sort of feeble redemption story Hollywood often palms off on the film-going public.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
11/11/02
Ben Falk
Ben Falk
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Fans of Allen's safe, everyguy humor will get down with it, but most of this fluff stuff packs a pretty weak punch.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
12/21/01
E! Online
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N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/21/01
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/05/02
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A movie unsure of what it wants to be: a drama about a man wrestling his personal demons or a light-entertainment vehicle for its star, Tim Allen.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
01/06/02
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY
N/R

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Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
02/25/04
Andrew Rodgers
Andrew Rodgers
Zap2it.com

Feel-good fluff with a mundane Tim Allen performance and a distinct lack of comedic spark.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
12/21/01
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

While never truly funny or insightful, the movie works intermittently by digging a little deeper than you might expect.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/06/02
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
San Francisco Chronicle

There's plenty of ABC After School Special dialogue here, along the lines of 'You've gotta find people in life who are there for you whether you're somebody or not.'

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
12/21/01
Charles Savage
Charles Savage
Miami Herald

If you're actually looking for a good movie, look elsewhere.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/20/01
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
N/R

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Full Review Source: Philadelphia City Paper | comment Comment
12/21/01
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Philadelphia City Paper

Stupid every step of the way.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
12/21/01
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

A movie based on Charles Atlas ads would be both more realistic and more entertaining than the moist, dithering hackwork slinking into theaters under the moniker Joe Somebody.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/21/01
David Kronke
David Kronke
Los Angeles Daily News

Much of the running time is devoted to dramatic subplots and other such misguided attempts at pathos.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

So uninteresting and overflowing with lame jokes that it is sure to bore viewers of every age, shape, and size.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
12/21/01
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com
 
 
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December 10, 2001: Just when you thought things couldn't get any zanier, Governor Jesse Ventura makes a special guest appearance. Opens in new window
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