Sequel Week Continues: "Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser"

Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser

N/R

Starring David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Mark McGrath, Christopher Walken, Patrick Warburton, Dennis Miller

Directed by Fred Wolf

The Story:

Joe Dirt (Spade) returns! Picking up where the last film left off, Joe and Brandy (Daniel) are happily married and raising three adorable triplet girls. However, a twister sends Joe back in time to 1965, and he must attempt to get back to his life and meet Brandy before the timeline is ruined and Brandy winds up with Jimmy (McGrath) instead.

If ever there was a movie that I never thought I'd see a sequel for, Joe Dirt has got to be right up near the top.

I have unashamedly admitted that I find the original to be hilarious from start to finish, and one that I have no problem watching at anytime.

It's pretty funny, and has a lot of heart.

Well, in the 14 years since we last saw our mulleted friend, it seems like some of the heart was forgotten in the sequel.

There are a few amusing gags and scenes throughout the film, but the backstory narrative that worked so well as Joe described his life in the first one, is kind of overthought and skipped around quite a bit.

It seems like Spade and Wolf thought, hey, if we're taking Joe "Back to the Future", this would be a funny gag, and this would be awesome to do, and this, and this and this...

So it's a lot of ideas that try and tell a story with a weak bridge holding them together.

Almost like an "oh yeah, and Joe loves his kids and Brandy and wants to get back to them."

However, if you're going to borrow, you might as well go with gusto, so besides Back to the Future, It's a Wonderful Life gets a good chunk of plot used in this film as well.

If it sounds like I'm picking on Joe Dirt, well, I guess I am. However, that's what people do with Joe Dirt.

I love the original, it's a classic, cult comedy.

Any sequel has some big shoes to fill, and they don't quite pull it off with the same sincerity of the first film.

I did appreciate that almost the entire cast returns in some shape or form in the sequel. It was fun to see them all together again.

I must also give props for Mark McGrath stepping into Kid Rock's shoes to give us a villain to boo, and someone to never want to eat popcorn with.

Plus, I must give credit to Spade and everyone else who worked to make this film streamable exclusively on Crackle.com.

You get the movie, streamed to your device with just a few commercials randomly inserted along the way.

With the proliferation of shows going to Netflix, Yahoo, Amazon, Hulu, it's neat that movies are going to also be given another venue to be made and seen.

If you enjoyed the first Joe Dirt, this will give you a few glimmers of amusement that make you remember why you really enjoyed that film, and those characters so much.

Lightning like that rarely strikes twice, but I'll give them an A for effort.

The movie however, only a C.

Sorry Joe.

Concert Review: Under the Sun Tour 2013

It's like my iPod started playing live hits last night...

Come with me as we journey back to an interesting decade in music history... the 90s!

For me, a child of the 80s, I was moving through my twenties and heading towards my thirties.  Married, starting a family, but there was some great music to be had on the radio.  Many tunes are still played on the Adult Contemporary stations to this day.

Last year, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray started this tour, and in 2013 he changed the lineup a bit, filled out the roster, and brings to town a 4 hour rock concert filled with great bands and great songs.

The night started with McGrath and Robin Wilson, lead singer of the Gin Blossoms coming out to welcome the crowd and introduce Fastball.

Fastball came out and got the crowd pumped with a short 30 minute set the culminated with their two biggest radio hits.  The amusing thing, like I said, as a child of the 80s, I didn't know every song I was going to hear tonight, so there were some pleasant surprises and walks down memory lane that I had forgotten about.  While everyone knew "The Way" was coming, I completely forgot that "Was I Out of My Head" was a Fastball song.

Then with a quick stage switcheroo, Vertical Horizon was brought onstage for a rousing set where they started and ended their set with their 2 biggest hits.  They kept the crowd on their feet the entire time with a rousing 30 minute session that was over too quickly.  The good news, they've got a new album coming out this fall, and for fans, they said head over to their website and download the first single... free.  How cool is that?

An hour down, and then the Gin Blossoms came out on stage and took over for the second hour of the concert.  Hit after hit poured off the stage, while beach balls started flying through the audience during their rousing set.  Hats off to all of the bands who provided backup to each other throughout the night.  Pretty cool experience.  All of their hits were played, and again, some of their songs that don't get played as much on the radio like "Allison Road" were a nice walk down memory lane.  Plus, I don't think you'll get a bigger stage cheerleader than Robin Wilson who was keeping the crowd going all night long.

Only 2 hours left, and it was time for McGrath to take the stage with Sugar Ray.  I'll make no secret that I'm a huge Sugar Ray fan, always have been, always will be.  Last night simply confirmed that fact.  Filled with energy, the band tore the place up with several of Sugar Ray's biggest hits.  The biggest surprise was when Rodney Sheppard, lead guitarist, began the intro to "Blister in the Sun".  Not expecting that one at all, but the crowd was ecstatic, and much like "Abracadbra", McGrath and company took a good song, and made it even better.  When the song ended, Sheppard hurled his guitar pick into the crowd...

Where it clacked on the seats we were in and my oldest daughter who was born in the 90s picked it up and was excited beyond belief! :)

I've checked the website for the bass player's name, as he hails from Australia.  The equipment on stage was marked "Serg" so I don't know if we share the same spelling, but the guy has the coolest name ever. : )

After their set was over, the people in front of us went to get beer, and I looked on the floor and there was one of the bass players picks.  I showed it to my youngest teen who was with me, and she promptly leaped over the seats, and we scored 2 Sugar Ray guitar picks from the concert.

Thanks guys, you rocked!!!

One final stage change, and then Smash Mouth came out to culminate the festivities.  They hit us fast, furious... and loud.

Almost too loud.  More on that in a second.

The radio hits poured out, and they even threw in a cover of The Kinks/Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" that was a huge singalong favorite.  The evening concluded with the return of Wilson onstage to help send us home with "All Star".  I don't believe there wasn't anyone in the crowd not singing.

Which could sum up the whole night.

As I mentioned in my review of Coldplay's concert film, it seems like as a musician and band, they do really like the fact that the fans know the words and sing along.  I always assumed it would be the opposite, "hey, that's my song, let me sing, that's why you paid to see me in concert!"

But an event like the Under the Sun Tour seems to make the atmosphere more of a bonding reunion between the bands and the fans.  They want us to participate as much as they want to entertain us.

So for over 3 hours, we had a blast.  We could have walked out after Sugar Ray performed, and it would have been a perfect concert.

Smash Mouth was a bit of a let down.  The songs were great... but again, acoustically, the set seemed louder than the rest had been, the music almost drowning out the vocals.

Still cool to see them.

Mark McGrath promised that if we came back next year, so would he.

I'm in.

If he's up for suggestions, I'd recommend allowing another song or two from the other bands, expanding his set a bit, and you could leave Smash Mouth off the card completely.  Sugar Ray is the perfect ending to a great 90s concert...

But if that would hurt ticket sales... don't do it!

I just know that I can leave about 45 minutes earlier and it will be okay.

: )

Final Grade:  A

Would I Do It Again:  Give Charleston a shot next year, and I'll be bringing the teens back for more!