Starring: Tim Allen, Jim Belush
Director: John Pasquin
Rated: PG
IN Joe Somebody, Joe Scheffer (Tim Allen) is an average hard-working employee of a pharmaceutical company.
That’s the problem. There is nothing that distinguishes Joe from his colleagues. He is passed over for promotions, people don’t remember his name and his wife left him for “someone more interesting”.
In the car park at work Joe is beaten into a space by Mark McKinney (Patrick Warburton), a junior employee. A fight ensures and Joe is beaten and humiliated in front of his daughter. He wants a rematch. It’s time for David to take on Goliath.
At the base of this sentimental film is the serious issue of workplace bullying, which adversely affects many ordinary workers’ lives. It’s such a pity this issue is raised in this slight, feel-good film. It deserves much more serious treatment than it gets here.
The central question for this film is “what do I want” and once Joe can answer that he re-orders his life around it, discovering his existence is anything but mundane.
Tim Allen as Joe and Jim Belushi as Chuck the karate instructor give very pleasing performances. The humour here is not side-splitting, just lots of smiles and smirks.
The truth-teller in this film is the 12 year-old Natalie, precociously played by Hayden Panettiere. She seems to have more maturity than every other adult does in the cast.
Joe Somebody has some dull bits and flat scenes, but it’s warm entertainment that families could choose to see together.
