Around the holidays, the film industry usually uncorks its stock of family comedies with heartwarming themes to coax already sentimental audiences into the spirit that unfortunately comes around once a year -- mostly just so they can loosen some wallets and make some cash. Joe Somebody has some of these qualities and that may be enough for the "average Joe" family, but not in my house. With Tim Allen doing his usual physical comedy shtick after a John Scott Shepherd script that is as unoriginal as they come, this is a film that simply goes through the motions scene after scene.

     Allen stars as Joe Scheffer, the quiet, pushover of a nice guy who works as a video specialist for a Minneapolis pharmaceutical company. After a divorce from Callie (Kelly Lynch), Joe is now a beaten man who finds his only compassion from his daughter, Natalie (Hayden Panettiere, Remember the Titans). But when Joe brings Natalie to his office on Take Your Daughter to Work Day, his self-esteem takes another blow -- Joe's manhood falls apart when office bully Mark McKinney (Patrick Warburton, Big Trouble) slaps him around the parking lot like a little girl in front of his daughter. Through utterly humiliated, he follows the encouraging advice of an attractive "wellness director," Meg Harper (Julie Bowen, Happy Gilmore) and recruits a Steven Seagal lookalike (James Belushi) to help him train for a rematch with McKinney.

     Directed by John Pasquin, this is another Tim Allen comedy with deep family undertones, and the two have a work history of such projects. After the success of their television show "Home Improvement," they went on to 1994's The Santa Clause, in which they both acted, and 1997's Jungle 2 Jungle, which Pasquin directed and Allen headlined. But since they are no stranger to this concept, it becomes harder and harder to bring something new to the table -- the idea is becoming has more than played out its time, and Allen should look for a new kind of script.

     Tim "The Tool Man" can still bring about a couple of laughs with his usual routines. He hasn't lost his touch with comedy completely, but is all crossed up with his grip on the family-friendly angle. Joe Somebody does showcase, once again, that Allen is convincing at both comedy and tragedy -- he can sell us on both roaring laughter and utter defeat. And in a project like this, he easily outshines his costars (though whether that's a serious complement depends on how much credit a viewer will be willing to give the supporting cast of former and current TV stars).

     The movie's main pitfall was the writing that threw creativity out of the window by rookie writer John Scott Shepherd. Despite a few chuckles, the film was constantly predictable, and Joe Somebody reads like the prototypical template for a film about a man who is down on his luck and finally decides to make that change.

     Joe Somebody also has its wires crossed. The whole film turns on seeking revenge in the most elementary of ways - a fight behind the "jungle gym" after work. But the first-time writer Shepherd seemed to struggle with the story's focus, unable as he was to decide between writing a simple revenge tale or a more thematically-oriented family picture. He also mishandled his characters and at times seemed to forget entirely about the daughter character altogether.

     This isn't a great example of Tim Allen's work on the big screen, or his work in show business period. If you want to see Allen in top form, stick with syndicated reruns of "Home Improvement." If you need the occasional laugh and a refresher course on proper family values told in the most awkward of ways, then Joe is what you want.

Michael J. Eiff, 2001