Rating: PG
Genre:
Comedy
Theatrical Release: 12/21/2001(USA)
Release Date: 08/20/2002
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: Espanol/English/French
Sound: DD5.1/DS
Run Time: 108 Minutes
Flags: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children
Distributor/Studio: 20th Century Fox
Following their television series
Home Improvement and the features
The Santa Clause (1994) and
Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), the actor/director team of
Tim Allen and
John Pasquin collaborate once again on this high-concept
comedy.
Allen stars as
Joe Scheffer, a nice guy video specialist for a Minneapolis pharmaceutical company who's plodding through both his thankless job and an unhappy divorce from his ex-wife
Callie (
Kelly Lynch). When
Joe brings his daughter
Natalie (
Hayden Panettiere) to the office with him on Take Our Kids to Work Day, he's humiliated in a spat with company bully
Mark McKinney (
Patrick Warburton) over a parking space. It's the last straw for the mild-mannered
Joe, who challenges
McKinney to a rematch, hires a has-been
action movie star (
Jim Belushi) to instruct him in martial arts, and pays a stylist to make over his wardrobe and hair. As
Joe's image improves and the big day approaches, he finds his new self-respecting stance has positive effects in both the workplace, as he lands a long-overdue promotion, and in his romantic life, as both
Callie and a cute "wellness coordinator" (
Julie Bowen) start warming up to him. The levelheaded
Natalie, however, seems to prefer the previously non-confrontational dad she already loved.
Joe Somebody (2001) is the feature debut of screenwriter
John Scott Shepherd, who actually worked as a corporate filmmaker in Minneapolis.
~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
;)
