Joe Somebody

Serious? ....No.

Lighthearted? ....Yes.

Funny? ....Yes.

Full of morals and clichés? ....You bet.

But it's the Bullied verses the Bully and most of us, especially those of us who might have been in similar circumstances, like these kind of movies; don't we? Obviously this movie isn't meant to be taken too seriously and Tim Allen pulls it off nicely and, along with the support characters, they combine to make this one of those movies you can enjoy without having the feeling you have to barf.

I wanted to see this film in the first place because it was filmed partly in my neighborhood, and in the second place because I am a fan of Tim Allen. His fans will want to see this film. There were not that many big laughs, which makes it more romantic than comedy. Likeable characters keep this film moving.

I don't know if it was because I watched McHALE'S NAVY the previous night but I was charmed by JOE SOMEBODY . Agreed it's not a movie that will be winning much in the way of awards but isn't as bad as some people are making out . It get's off to a good start in the opening shot where Joe thinks a sexy brunette is waving to him only to find she's waving at someone else . Come on guys admit you've made the same mistake . It's also one of those romantic / family comedies that gets the balance right between pathos and humour without becoming jarring or unfocused . When Joe talks to Natalie his angst ridden daughter on the phone it is a touching scene helped in no small part by a musical score similar to THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

My only real complaint is that the screenplay can't keep up the momentum but that's not a unique criticism since most movies of what ever genre suffer from sagging about two thirds the way through so the only real disappointment is why didn't the producers hire Steven Seagal as Chuck the martial arts movie star . It's impossible not to notice who Chuck is supposed to be and if we had Seagal lampooning himself then this would have been a minor comedy classic

This is an excellent family movie, if you have the disc you will want to watch it a second time in a day or two. It is worth having in your collection, you will want to go back to it time and time again.

Tim Allen is lovable and does an excellent performance. Julie Bowen also excellent and lovable. The supporting actors and direction were superb.

A great underdog movie turning top-dog with a couple scenes that were stretching the imagination. (please excuse the cliché's they are unavoidable.)

To make this review submission-able I have to add this last line. I think it deserves a better score than 5.5

I like Tim Allen and I hate to see him selling himself out like this. Here he's playing an average joe (named Joe! Haha the irony!) who gets beat up outside work one day by a meanie co-worker (played by the brilliant Patrick Warburton, one of the most underrated comedians out there).

Feeling like he has lost his dignity and manhood (and the fact that it occurred in front of his preteen daughter doesn't help any), Joe decides to fight back - by training extensively and preparing for the Next Big Fight.

He employs the services of a guru (Jim Belushi) to help him learn forms of karate and what not, so he can take down Warburton.

The movie is kind of lame insofar that it seems very childish - that's partly the point but, on the other hand, it promotes a bad message to kids. Of course the moral at the end of the story is, "Don't fight." But we spend an hour and a half of revenge-filled fantasy getting there.

It's not a particularly bad film, but neither is it particularly good. I hate to see Tim Allen selling himself out like this because I think he's a fine comedian and this puts his talents to waste. Anyone could play this role. There's a reason it's called "Joe Somebody." Now here's a good idea: put Patrick Warburton in a good movie for once, and give Tim Allen a good role.