Post by StevePulaski on Dec 10, 2010 23:04:55 GMT -5
Roaches rule in Joe's Apartment!
Rating: ★★★
I went into Joe's Apartment I was expecting a less than stellar film, not going to lie. It was lampooned by critics, and is the first of its kind as it's the first film by MTV. I saw bits and pieces of this flick when I was around eight years old with my dad, and thought it was a horror film. Thousands of cockroaches and their scratchy voices running around sounds like a horror film. I was surprised to find out it was a comedy film by none other than MTV.
Like I stated, I went into this expecting a horrible film. It looked like a cheesy MTV film that lacked talent and humor. I was totally wrong. This film is now on the list of favorite MTV films. I always complain in my other reviews that movies have lost creativity and idea in recent years, I think I got what I asked for. Singing cockroaches? Haven't seen that done before!
Joe (O'Connell) is a College grad who is having a hard time after moving to New York City. He can't find a place or a job to manage. After posing as a recently dead elderly women's son, he is able to get her Apartment at very cheap. Little does he know the podunk joint is home to over 5,000 singing and talking cockroaches.
Joe must now cope with the roaches irrational behavior, as well as trying to score big with a local, garden nut named Lily (Ward). But there isn't a huge market for women who dig jobless men who have a home infested with thousands of cockroaches last I checked. I could be wrong though.
I have seen the original short that this film is based on, and I hate cockroaches. Though seeing cheesy beta versions of themselves somehow made me tolerate them for 80 minutes. Plus Jerry O'Connell's likable persona was something that flowed nicely throughout the film.
Joe's Apartment crosses the line of disgusting and becomes utterly filled with gross out humor and repulsive scenery of Joe's apartment. But it's a fun, creative movie that dares to go where no film has gone before. A disgusting slacker's apartment. Sure it seen briefly in films like Bio-Dome and Chairman of the Board, but to my recollection, I don't think a film has restricted it's boundaries to just a person's apartment. Gives me an idea for my fourth short film.
Starring: Jerry O'Connell, Megan Ward, Billy West, Robert Vaughn, Reginald Hudlin, Jim Turner, and Don Ho. Directed by: John Payson.
