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Movies / On DVD / Joe Somebody
Joe Somebody

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Joe Somebody (2001)

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Reviews Counted:21

Fresh:4

Rotten:17

Average Rating:4.5/10

Consensus: Amiable, but extremely lightweight and predictable.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for language, thematic elements and some mild violence

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Dec 21, 2001 Wide

Box Office: $22,661,550

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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Release:

Jul 4, 2006

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Reviews for Joe Somebody

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
08/26/08
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
Variety
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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Not something to write home about.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/05/02
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Has the look and feel of an extended sitcom episode.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/19/02
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
Globe and Mail
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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
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I'd rather see a whole movie about an aging B-movie actor and forget about all the stuff with Tim Allen.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
01/03/02
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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The movie makes smart use of the small-screen big-charm appeal of former Home Improvement star Tim Allen.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
12/21/01
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
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A formula comedy as affable and ineffectual as its hero.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
12/21/01
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
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Joe Somebody gives Allen a piping chance to play it sensitive, sentient and, for all the right reasons, lovable. He takes that chance and does a first-rate job.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
12/21/01
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
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Corny to the core.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
12/21/01
John Monaghan
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
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A made-for-TV movie dressed up like a feature film. Its plot is not only stale, it's been stale for decades.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
12/21/01
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
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By the end of Joe Somebody, we are faced with the dismal prospect of being denied a climax, which, if it occurred, would be just as predictable as its substitute.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
12/21/01
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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It doesn't much succeed, but Allen and the bit of acid candor the script does muster do cushion its shortcomings.

comment Comment
12/21/01
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
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Joe Somebody sends audiences home happy but also with an awareness that happy endings have to be earned in real life as on the screen.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/21/01
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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A surprisingly wistful, troubled film. It's not great; it's also not idiotic.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/21/01
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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Joe Somebody continually squanders its opportunities for hilarity.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/21/01
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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The demands of formula eventually stifle anything that even looks like inspiration or honesty.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
12/21/01
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
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What's the holiday season without a turkey?

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
12/21/01
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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[A] standard-transmission vehicle.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
12/21/01
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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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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