Flashback Movies:"Joe Dirt"(2001)

"Joe Dirt" DVD cover
David Spade as "Joe Dirt"

I had the opportunity today to watch one of my favorite movies on Comedy Central,the 2001 comedy "Joe Dirt",starring the sarcastic dry comic & SNL alumni David Spade.In a departure from his usual smart-aleck characters,he plays a loveable white-trash mullet wearing orphaned janitor who is "discovered" by talk radio DJ Zander Kelly(Dennis Miller),who encourages Joe to share his life story with listeners.Joe Dirt was abandoned by his parents as a child at the Grand Canyon and spends 20 years roaming the country,seeking his parents and meeting a variety of colorful characters,including a former mob accountant in Witness Protection(Christopher Walken) and a beautiful country girl named Brandy(Brittany Daniel),and even spends time in a basement dungeon pit reminiscent of "Silence of the Lambs"after meeting a man calling himself"Buffalo Bob".The soundtrack is chock full of classic rock tunes by the likes of Bachman-Turner Overdrive,Bob Seger,Lynyrd Skynyrd and Joe Walsh,to name a few.He sports a variety of cool T-shirts,including one that says"I choked Linda Lovelace"!

Despite his being bullied and disappointed at every turn,Joe remains positive and his mottos are "Lifes a Garden,Dig It!' and "You cant have "NO" in your heart".He goes on to meet his awful parents,and realizes that he had a family all along,in his friends AND there is a happy ending!He not only gets the girl,he gets his Hemi Plymouth convertible back and in the closing scene,leaves bully and romantic rival Robby(played very badly by Kid Rock) and his "slant-six" Firebird in the dust.

While the movie cost 33 million to make and only made 30 million at the box office,DVD sales were phenomenal and it is a modern cult classic.In my opinion,Spade hasn't done anything nearly as funny since this film!

The movie also features appearances by comic Bob Zany,actress Rosanna Arquette and Kevin Farley,brother to the late comic and Spade sidekick Chris Farley,as well as Kevin Nealon from SNL.And heres a bit of trivia-in the scene where Joe meets Indian firecracker vendor "Kickin' Wing",there are two huge arrows sticking out of the ground that are actually all that is left from the abandoned"Twin Arrows" Rest Stop ,a former landmark on the famous Route 66.

If you have never seen it,give it a chance.It is a hysterical and heartwarming comedy.