Joe Dirt MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +1 Content: -3

Sometimes a persons eccentric traits can be endearing, other times annoying. Joe Dirt (David Spade), both the character and the movie, fall into the latter category. Working as a janitor at a Los Angeles radio station, Joe catches the eye of Howard Stern-like shock jock Zander Kelly (Dennis Miller). Kelly immediately puts the oddball Joe, a devotee of rock music, on the air. Over the next few days, Joe enthralls Kellys radio listeners with his tales of travel and odd jobs, like wrestling alligators, while searching for the parents who lost him at the Grand Canyon as a child. He becomes an overnight sensation as the entire country tunes in to hear the climactic ending to his long journey. Unfortunately, JOE DIRT seems to lack any real humor, although some famous faces in cameo roles create a few chuckles. With limited laughs and a bathroom mentality, the movie may fall face down in the dirt.

Orphaned Joe really only wants to find his parents, and his travels are determined by whatever clues he can follow. This yearning by Joe reflects the importance of parents in a child's life and, even as adults, their desire for the security of belonging that comes with family. However, beyond that theme, the movie is filled with sexual innuendo, crude bathroom humor involving human waste and bodily functions, and humorous treatment of drug use. At one point, Joe is covered with the contents of a septic tank truck as they spill out over him. One sexual encounter, without nudity, occurs as well. Of course, at the time, Joe believes he's with his sister, adding an even more disgusting dimension to the scene. Frequent crude language, obscenities and profanity also help JOE DIRT live up to its gritty name.

Preview Reviewer: John Adair
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232