Joe Dirt

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Joe Dirt

Directed by	Dennie Gordon
Produced by	Robert Simonds
Written by	David Spade Fred Wolf
Release date(s)	April 11, 2001
Running time	91 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Joe Dirt (tv/working title: The Adventures of Joe Dirt) is a 2001 cult film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film revolves around white trash heavy-metal fan Joe Dirt (Spade) who is discovered by a disc jockey Zander Kelly (Miller) at the radio-station where he works as a janitor, and is encouraged to recount his life-story. This involves being abandoned by his parents at the Grand Canyon when he was 8, and having searched for them since.

Dirt's stories include being born without the top of his skull, resulting in his mother covering it with a mullet wig which he had kept ever since; befriending a meteor (which turns out to be a piece of jettisoned excrement); working at the carnival; working as an alligator baiter; befriending a strange janitor called Clem (later Gert B. Frobe) on a witness re-location program (Walken); and being held captive by serial killer 'Buffalo Bob' in a scene similar to The Silence of the Lambs.

Dirt also meets Brandy (Daniel) who adores him, but Dirt is oblivious of this, believing she would be better suited to Robby (Kid Rock).

The film is unusual for Spade as he does not himself play his usual ruthless, sarcastic character. This role is instead given to Miller, while Spade plays the more likable role of Dirt.

The film was produced by Adam Sandler's production company Happy Madison.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Trivia

Joe Dirt is referenced in the "Weird Al" Yankovic song, Close but No Cigar. In it, the lyricist breaks up with his girlfriend Janet just because she owned a copy of Joe Dirt on DVD.
Joe found his long-lost parents, either they lived in Simi Valley, California near Los Angeles, or on some versions, Yucca Valley, California in the Mojave Desert, but are in a mobile home.