A lot of the reviewers for this movie wrote that it was "not a very good movie but..." A lot of the reviewers wanted to like this movie, as did I. A number of them even said it was a clean family movie. However, by trying to be a "clean" movie that kids could watch, with a strange "sappy" ending that just didn't fit (at all), and being a believable drama about midlife crisis, failed marriage, workplace violence, and corporate ethics, they ended up with a movie that often seemed far too tedious for young viewers, and not genuine for older viewers; in trying to appeal to everyone, they missed the mark to appeal to anyone. Which is why I think most reviews stop short of saying they simply didn't like this movie, and say it was easily forgotten only seconds after turning it off. It had potential, and Tim Allen is an amicable actor to watch. But he's had far better films to his credit.

"Joe Scheffer" (Tim Allen) works in a large corporation and is going through some tough times. Not only has his wife, "Callie Scheffer" (Kelly Lynch) left him for another man but to make things even more humiliating he is beaten up in the parking lot of his company in front of his young daughter, "Natalie Scheffer" (Hayden Panettiere) . Too ashamed to return to work he is visited by a corporate counselor by the name of "Meg Harper" (Julie Bowen) who inadvertently gives him the idea of challenging the corporate bully "Mark McKinney" (Patrick Warburton) into a rematch. Suddenly, he becomes the rising star in the company and his behavior changes accordingly. Anyway, although this film started off pretty good it didn't seem to add anything new or interesting after the first 15 minutes or so. It was like one long joke which just dragged on for 98 minutes and it got old quickly. And while I liked the performance of Julie Bowen and I certainly didn't think her presence or that of Kelly Lynch hurt the scenery in any way neither of them were able to elevate this film enough for me to rate it any higher than I have. Slightly below average.

I don't know if it was because I watched McHALE'S NAVY the previous night but I was charmed by JOE SOMEBODY . Agreed it's not a movie that will be winning much in the way of awards but isn't as bad as some people are making out . It get's off to a good start in the opening shot where Joe thinks a sexy brunette is waving to him only to find she's waving at someone else . Come on guys admit you've made the same mistake . It's also one of those romantic / family comedies that gets the balance right between pathos and humour without becoming jarring or unfocused . When Joe talks to Natalie his angst ridden daughter on the phone it is a touching scene helped in no small part by a musical score similar to THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION My only real complaint is that the screenplay can't keep up the momentum but that's not a unique criticism since most movies of what ever genre suffer from sagging about two thirds the way through so the only real disappointment is why didn't the producers hire Steven Seagal as Chuck the martial arts movie star . It's impossible not to notice who Chuck is supposed to be and if we had Seagal lampooning himself then this would have been a minor comedy classic

I like Tim Allen and I hate to see him selling himself out like this. Here he's playing an average joe (named Joe! Haha the irony!) who gets beat up outside work one day by a meanie co-worker (played by the brilliant Patrick Warburton, one of the most underrated comedians out there).Feeling like he has lost his dignity and manhood (and the fact that it occurred in front of his preteen daughter doesn't help any), Joe decides to fight back - by training extensively and preparing for the Next Big Fight.He employs the services of a guru (Jim Belushi) to help him learn forms of karate and what not, so he can take down Warburton.The movie is kind of lame insofar that it seems very childish - that's partly the point but, on the other hand, it promotes a bad message to kids. Of course the moral at the end of the story is, "Don't fight." But we spend an hour and a half of revenge-filled fantasy getting there.It's not a particularly bad film, but neither is it particularly good. I hate to see Tim Allen selling himself out like this because I think he's a fine comedian and this puts his talents to waste. Anyone could play this role. There's a reason it's called "Joe Somebody." Now here's a good idea: put Patrick Warburton in a good movie for once, and give Tim Allen a good role.