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Via his huge television series "Home Improvement," he struck a chord - America loved this guy - and even though he admitted in his own two memoirs to having a tough life behind him that included prison time, he represented a benign, romantic, powerful American male. One could argue that he was the Bill Cosby of mid 90s television, but aside from Pixar and The Santa Clause, Tim's had trouble grasping a multiplex audience. Case in point, his latest Joe Somebody, which fell on deaf ears last Christmas.

It's similar territory for Allen - a nobody at a giant conglomerate learns that he shouldn't take crap from others and learns to defend himself - but not once during the film does the story really connect. I'm inclined to believe that more interesting issues were tossed in order to receive a family-friendly PG-rating. For example, after Tim's first run-in with Patrick Warburton, the company bully, Tim goes home and drowns his sorrows, lamenting his divorce (from Kelly Lynch) and his sometimes eclectic parenting skills. But we never actually see him hit bottom, it's just a plot device. It's a shame, because it could have been interesting territory for both the character and Allen the actor. Here's a guy who, in real life, had terrible drug problems, is forced to draw deep from his own history to deliver an honest, true-to-life performance. But the filmmakers ignore it; perhaps it was far too edgy and callous for a "family" film?

Yet like easily half of family comedies out there, Joe Somebody is not offensively bad - it's just empty and devoid of any inherent virtue. For those who either follow Tim Allen everywhere or just want to laugh, it's certainly a pleasant time waster. Allen may not be able to replicate the kind of attention he received with Toy Story and "Home Improvement", but even if his films remain as decidedly mediocre as this, he should rest easy knowing that at least he offered up inoffensive mainstream entertainment for the masses. Good for him, even if ultimately one wishes he would do more.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, this transfer is mighty nice. The film has a slick, glossy look, with a bright color palette that is reproduced here quite well. Blacks and contrast are very good, resulting in strong and supple detail and shadow delineation well above average. There are a few examples of compression artifacting and some minor sightings of edge enhancement, but overall this video transfer is quite fine.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Boasting a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround track, this is a flat mix, but the film just isn't that sonically interesting to begin with. Dynamic range is surprisingly dull for a film this recent - highs feel cramped and the .1 LFE is lifeless and lacks punch. Overall the mix is well-balanced, with dialogue represented well and some of the score spread nicely across the front soundstage. Surround use is average, with little aggressive activity in the rears. It's hardly exciting, but at least the dialogue is full-bodied and the music-filled soundtrack is punchy.

Also included are French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, English and Spanish subtitles, and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

There aren't a huge number of extras included here, but we do get a few goodies, although given this film's generic appeal it's likely few will be interested in the nuts and bolts of the production. First we have a screen-specific audio commentary by director John Pasquin and producer Brian Reilly. There's not a lot of information relayed here, but it does have a couple of amusing anecdotes, most of them about Tim Allen. It's very pleasant, mild, and...slight.

Up next are a 4 deleted scenes with optional commentary, and like the feature track, these are slight deletions and the commentary doesn't make much of a case for their omission. We also get a short 6-minute choreography featurette chronicling Tim's development as a warrior throughout the making of the film. This extra is inherently boring since the choreography in the film isn't all that hot to begin with, but here you go.

Rounding it out is the film's theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts