Review of Joe Somebody (2001) by Lyric B — 29 Jan 2010

Aside from some remarkable chemistry between the always likable Julie Bowen and Tim Allen, this is a typical Allen movie. That is, it is pleasant, but fails to break on through to the other side, where mildly funny ends and true hilarity begins.

Allen plays a white collar stiff who gets embarrassingly pummeled by a macho coworker, played by Patrick Warburton of Seinfield fame. The rest of the film is the buildup to the rematch, where Allen, over the objections of all that love him, intends to exact his revenge.

There are some creative setups and a few good laughs along the way. James Belushi pitches in as the over-the-hill martial arts instructor. But, like most Allen movies, there just doesn?t seem to be enough material here to muster more than a collective, appreciative laugh by the time this tale has crept to its timely end.