Tim Allen is Joe, a corporate drone who is beaten up by the corporate bully--Patrick Warburton--over a parking space.  It gets worse--the assault occurred in front of his daughter on 'Bring Your Daughter to Work Day'.  Suffering in the pride department, Allen seeks vengeance on the bully and tries buffing up for another confrontation which spreads quickly and eventually becomes one of the most talked about fights of the decade.  Jim Belushi is hilarious as the former B-movie star turned martial arts expert who helps Allen get ready for the rumble.  Let me re-state this--Jim Belushi is hilarious.  He hasn't been this funny since either "The Principal" or "Mr. Destiny"--I get them confused.

      Director John Pasquin, who directed Allen in both the great holiday film "The Santa Clause" and the huge disappointment "Jungle 2 Jungle", evidentially knows how to bring the humor out of his actors, even when the films are terrible (Jungle 2 Jungle).  Now, don't get me wrong--from a critical stand point--this movie is not a good movie for the reasons listed already.  But, personally, I found it immensely amusing and massively entertaining.  Tim Allen is just a funny guy--after "Galaxy Quest", one of the funniest films of 2000--I thought he might never be able to top that.  But, after watching "Joe Somebody", I know I was wrong.

      And what about the M & M guy?  Patrick Warburton is hilarious.  If you paid close attention to the trailers for "Big Trouble", the Tim Allen film that was benched after the September 11 attacks because it dealt with a bomb in a Miami airport, you noticed that Patrick Warburton also stars alongside Allen in that flick, uttering the hilarious line--"Was that a goat?"  Maybe Allen and Warburton are forming some sort of screen team, like Abbott and Costello and Lemmon and Matthau?  Who knows--anything is possible.  Anyway, this is a good holiday family fare and just plain watchable.  Not the best film of the year and certainly not the funniest ("The Royal Tenenbaums", "Bandits"), but funny and good enough to warrant a strong recommendation from this critic.

     -- Billy Ray ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

      Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )      

      I think Tim Allen's a very talented comic, and I like him in almost everything he does (forgetting "Jungle 2 Jungle" ever existed).  He's very funny in this movie, and he gets help from his supporting cast as well.  Jim Belushi is a hoot as his martial arts personal trainer/out-of-work action star.  I guess it's sort of an inside joke--Jim poking fun of his own status as an actor.  Don't get me wrong, I love Jim and I love him in this movie.  Julie Bowen (from "Happy Gilmore" and TV's "Ed") is beautiful, as always, as Joe's love interest.  I don't think her character, also a proclaimed nobody, would be so beautiful, but to see her breathtaking presence on screen I can suspend a little disbelief.  What did disappoint me was the lack of screen time for Warburton, who we all loved as Puddy from "Seinfeld."  He literally doesn't have any funny lines, and must have no more than ten minutes of screen time.  Now I'm looking forward to the day when "Big Trouble" (also starring Allen and Warburton) gets released.  The comedy sags towards the end, when the film takes a serious turn--the portion of every family comedy where it's time to deliver the "message."  Personally, I didn't see what was wrong with Joe in the first place, and why everyone suddenly patronized him...because of a fight?  Come on, this ain't the fifth grade!  I mean, even adults can be pretty shallow, but that's ridiculous!  Even when your main goal is to deliver a message, there should be a good deal of reality to it.  But it's an enjoyable movie that should be appreciated for what it is.