As "JOE DIRT" opens we're introduced to David Spade's character, a janitor at a radio station.  When he's brought in to be ridiculed by Dennis Miller, to fill air time, we get a sample of the generally "mean-spirited" humor that this film consists of.  Right off the bat, Miller is throwing out disparaging "red-neck" jokes and comments. This wouldn't be bad at all, if they were at least funny. Most of them aren't!  One actually finds themselves envious of Jeff Foxworthy's "wit!"

The story, told through various episodic events, is more depressing than funny.  Having been intentionally dumped at a tourist site by his parents, Joe Dirt, never had much of a chance to become more than a redneck with bad hair.  "Mullet" jokes permeate the script! 

As Joe is invited to return to the radio program to continue telling his tales, we, and the listening audience are supposed to somehow become enamored with Joe, and we learn about Joe's one true friend, the pretty, rednecky, Brandy, as well as the jerks in his life.

As the film continues, Joe explains his attempts to find his parents, and in the one genuinely "funny" moment, he meets someone with a "SILENCE OF THE LAMBS" type of mental defect! It's a hilarious scene, and one only wishes the same wit with which this scene was written, had been carried throughout most of the film.

When Joe is reunited with his real parents, it's supposed to be a "serious" scene!  Who's kidding who here?  The film is so uneven, it's frustrating!

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has provided a "FLAWLESS" transfer here!  The image is spectacular with bright, solid, colors in every scene!  There's great definition and no oversaturation anywhere. Fleshtones are perfect!  The contrast is also flawless, with deep blacks and grays!  The original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and 16:9 enhancement, as well as a full frame version, is available from the main menu.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is much more aggressive than we'd expected! While the surrounds boost the film's terrific score, (mostly Eddie Money songs) there's an abundance of directional and surround effects in almost every scene!  The meteor scene, as well as others, takes full advantage of the format, giving all speakers and the LFE track a workout!

Director Dennie Gordon provides her own commentary, and while it's informative, and she sounds nice, it's sad to think she doesn't realize how mediocre the film is. She does provide some interesting production information, however, there are long silences as well.

David Spade provides his own commentary as well.  Some of his sarcastic jokes are much funnier than the film itself, and it's a shame that he didn't get a better vehicle to star in.

There is a brief deleted scenes section, available with/without director commentary. None of these deleted scenes offered anything worth keeping, and would've made a plodding film even longer!