Susan Granger’s review of “JOE SOMEBODY” (20th Century-Fox)
The only reason to see this lackluster comedy is if you’ve seen all the rest of the family fare and are absolutely desperate for diversion. Set in Minneapolis, the story revolves around a middle-management pharmaceutical company A/V shlub named Joe Scheffer (Tim Allen) whose wife has left him for a young actor, who has been passed over for a promotion and who suffers the final indignity of being publicly embarrassed on Bring Your Daughter To Work Day. When Joe and his precocious 12 year-old (Hayden Panettiere) are pulling into a parking spot, a pushy colleague (Patrick Warburton) slips in ahead of him and – when Joe rightfully protests that the lout is not even entitled to use that particular employee parking lot – the bully slugs him in front of his child and co-workers. Not only is Joe intimidated but he’s humiliated. So he retreats to his home and gets drunk. When he doesn’t appear at work, a conscientious and concerned Human Resources “wellness coordinator” (Julie Bowen) pays him a visit. “What do you want?” she asks, igniting some introspection that Joe hasn’t bothered to do for years. Soon the amiable underdog vows revenge, challenges his tormentor to a re-match and begins martial arts training with an arrogant, beer-chugging Steven Seagal-type former-movie star instructor (Jim Belushi). Writer John Scott Shepherd and director John Pasquin rely on formulaic shtick offering few surprises and even fewer laughs they chug through pathos (“There’s a big hole in me and it still hurts when the wind blows through.”) to a predictably pacifist conclusion, accompanied by George S. Clinton’s over-orchestrated score. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Joe Somebody” is a flimsy, fuzzy, only occasionally funny 5. But, believe me, this is no “Santa Clause.” Wait for the video.
