Joe Dirt (2001)

David Spade stars as Joe Dirt, an idiot who works as an oil weller who is on the search for his parents who abandoned him when he was a baby at the grand canyon.

Director:

Dennie Gordon

Writers:

David Spade, Fred Wolf

Stars:

David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Dennis Miller

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Spade	...	Joe Dirt
Brittany Daniel	...	Brandy
Dennis Miller	...	Zander Kelly
Adam Beach	...	Kicking Wing
Christopher Walken	...	Clem
Jaime Pressly	...	Jill
Kid Rock	...	Robby
Erik Per Sullivan	...	Little Joe Dirt
Megan Taylor Harvey	...	Joe's Little Sister
Caroline Aaron	...	Joe's Mom
Fred Ward	...	Joe's Dad
John Farley	...	Security Guard
Bob Zany	...	Man
Bean Miller	...	Man
Lee Walker	...	Zeke

Storyline

Joe Dirt is a janitor with a mullet hairdo, acid-washed jeans and a dream to find the parents that he lost at the Grand Canyon when he was a belligerent, trailer park-raised eight-year-old. Now, blasting Van Halen in his jacked-up economy car, the irrepressibly optimistic Joe hits the road alone in search of his folks. As his wandering, misguided search takes him from one hilarious misadventure to another, Joe finds his way to Los Angeles, where a shock-jock brings Joe on his radio show to insult him. But as Joe's life story unfolds, jeers turn to cheers, and an entire captivated city tunes in to hear the adventures of Joe Dirt.

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Plot Keywords:

grand canyon | janitor | loss of limb | trans am | fireworks | 

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Taglines:

Keep on Moppin' in the Free world.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Joe Dirt

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,016,008 (USA) (13 April 2001)

Gross:

$27,087,695 (USA) (1 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Happy Madison Productions, Robert Simonds Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where young Joe is 'left behind' by his parents at the Grand Canyon was actually not Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, but rather was Utah's scenic "Dead Horse Point State Park."

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Goofs

When Buffalo Bob gives Joe an Auto Trader he hands him the red copy of an Auto Trader, which is cars priced $5000 or less. He then speaks of a car priced at $14,000 which would have not been printed in that version.

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Quotes

Joe Dirt: [Narrating] I checked my list of Rambler Wagons, and there it was: Nunamaker. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I was finally home.
Joe Dirt: [Joe comes up to his childhood house only to find it's been condemned] Sir? Hey mister! You know the people who live here, Nunamaker?
Old Cajun Man: [In a nasally, thick Louisiana accent] They move!
Joe Dirt: W-what's that?
Old Cajun Man: [Continues the thick, nasally Louisiana accent for rest of scene] Move! They move! 'bout... 15 yea' ago. Had a lil' boy. Had same kinda haircut you got na'.
[laughs]
Old Cajun Man: God da', you ...
[...]

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Connections

References Behind the Music (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Roller"
Written by Myles Goodwyn
Performed by April Wine
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

One of the best comedies I have ever seen...

Joe Dirt, played perfectly by David Spade, has to be one of the best comedies I have seen in the last 20 years. While the plot may be far-fetched, the movie does stick to it and is set up perfectly.

Alongside Spade, Dennis Miller's cheap jabs at Dirt are absolutely priceless. His encounter with Miller sets up the whole premise for the movie, and the story begins. It takes you through different experiences Dirt has had from the time he lost his parents at the Grand Canyon all the way to the present.

Christopher Walker also makes a great appearance in the movie.

If you like movies such as Dodgeball, Old School, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, etc... you will love this one. You have to judge this movie on what it is aimed to do, and that is tell a story of perseverance from Dirt, who gets picked on throughout life and keeps a good attitude, which is a welcomed message. And first and foremost, the movie is made to keep you smiling throughout, and for that it accomplished the goal to perfection. 10/10