Joe Dirt



A 2001 film staring David Spade as a mullet wearing janitor who's invited to be on a talk show, initially to be made fun of. However he begins recounting his life story and the movie showcases his journey to find his parents as he narrates, meeting a host of oddball characters along the way.

Not one of Spade's better films, but a pretty good comedy nonetheless.

Tropes:

"Joe: Comin' in to work. Joe Dier-tay'.
 * Actor Allusion: In the end of the movie, Clem has adopted the name Gert B. Frobe, named after the actor who played the titular Bond villain in Goldfinger. Christopher Walken, who played Clem/Gert, has also played a Bond villain, namely Max Zorin in A View to a Kill.
 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: Joe plays this up for one girl (Jamie Pressley).
 * Awesome McCoolname: Joe suggests that Kicking Wing changes his name to "Kicking Ass". Dirt would've done the same.
 * Calling the Old Man Out: Joe does this to his parents when he questioned them how long they'd actually been searching for him before they'd given up thinking he was dead, and how long they'd been driving home from the Grand Canyon before they'd realized he wasn't in the car. The answers?
 * The Chew Toy: Almost everyone, for some reason, feels compelled to beat him up, mock him, and tell him he's worthless.
 * Cool Car: Joe's Hemi
 * Determinator: Joe Dirt himself. "You can't have 'no' in your heart. Life's a garden -- you dig it, you make it work for you!"
 * Disney Death:
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Fingore: Jill, losing her fingers to an alligator.
 * Here We Go Again: Joe finds his old house, only to learn that his family moved away some years ago. And now, he's right back where he started.
 * How We Got Here: A majority of the story is told by Joe talking about his life on a radio program.
 * I'm Melting: Joe and Kicking Wing discover an atom bomb and decide to shoot a Roman Candle at it. It explodes, and the charred remains shaped like Kicking Wing catch on the wind and blow away.
 * It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY"

Security Guard: Don't try to church it up son, don't you mean Joe DIRT?"

"Zander Kelly: Welcome home, Joe. Welcome home."
 * Jerkass: Almost everyone to Joe. Especially Brandy's ex-boyfriend.
 * Kick the Dog: (As well as literally shoot it)
 * Magical Native American: Subverted with Kicking Wing
 * Mysterious Past: Clem.
 * Never Live It Down: In-universe, after being abducted by "Buffalo Bob", everyone asks Joe if he was harmed in certain ways, even though nothing terrible really happened.
 * Noodle Incident: Joe's abduction by Buffalo Bob is assumed to be much, much worse by everyone who brings it up to Joe.
 * One-Liner, Name. One-Liner.


 * Parental Abandonment: Joe's parents "accidentally" left him on a trip to the Grand Canyon. Even when they realized he wasn't in the car, they didn't bother to turn back to get him.
 * Playing Against Type: David Spade playing the nice guy, for once.
 * Quip to Black: When Joe is trapped in a hot-air balloon for a local dentist's shop with no way to control it, he shouts, "Hey, boss! I'm going on break!" when it drifts away.
 * Roadside Wave
 * Shoot the Dog:
 * Surprise Incest: Joe briefly thought a girl he slept with at a carnival was his sister.
 * This Is My Story: Joe tells his life story in Zander Kelly's radio show.
 * Timmy in a Well
 * True Companions:.
 * Walk the Earth: Joe, in his journey to find his parents.
 * Was It All a Lie?:
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Joe's little sister who kept calling him "Joe Dirt" non-stop.
 * Clearly the girl from the carnival was mistaken.