Reel News

By Donna Denson

JOE DIRT

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If you are looking for a good date flick to impress that special someone, do NOT rent Joe Dirt. If you're in the mood for mindless, trashy humor that will make you laugh out loud, then go right ahead.

The movie begins with eight-year old Joe Dirt Little Joe Dirt (Erik Per Sullivan -he also plays the character, Dewey, on Malcolm in the Middle) dumpster-diving at a Grand Canyon tourist stop. After gorging himself on half-eaten snacks, he emerges from the garbage bin, only to find that his parents are gone. Thus begins the bizarre story of Joe Dirt (David Spade) and his search for the parents who left him.

Now grown up, Joe works as a janitor. It may be 2001, but Joe's still living in the 70's - he's got a mullet hairdo, acid-washed jeans, and blasts Van Halen (not Van Hagar) in his souped-up muscle car. The irrepressibly optimistic Joe hits the road alone in search of his folks.

Along the way, Joe befriends a strange cast of characters including a high school janitor (Christopher Walken) who is in the witness protection program hiding from the mob. He meets an alligator trainer (Rosanna Arquette), a fireworks salesman "Kicking Wing" (Adam Beach), the beautiful Brandy (Brittany Daniel), and Robby (Kid Rock), Joe's rival for her attention. His wandering, misguided search takes him from one hilarious misadventure to another.

Joe eventually finds his way to Los Angeles, where a shock-jock (Dennis Miller) brings Joe on his radio show to insult him. But as Joe's life story unfolds, an entire captivated city tunes in to hear the adventures, or misadventures, of Joe Dirt.

Produced by Adam Sandler, the film is rated PG-13. Not as raunchy as American Pie, but pretty close at times.

THE WEDDING PLANNER

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By Donna Denson

No one understands love and romance like Mary Fiore's (Jennifer Lopez). She's been in love with the idea of marriage since she was just a little girl holding lavish weddings in her room for Barbie & Ken dolls. All grown up, she's the most prestigious wedding planner in San Francisco. While Mary specializes in making everyone else's dreams come true, she's been too busy to have a love life of her own and lives a rather boring existence.

While celebrating a new, lucrative account-the wedding of internet tycoon Fran Donolly (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras)-Mary is rescued from a near-fatal collision with a runaway dumpster by the charming Dr. Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey). The two spend a very enchanting evening together leaving Mary to think she's finally found her own true love and romance. Wrong! Mary's world is thrown upside down when she discovers Fran Donolly's groom-to-be is Steve, and Mary is planning their wedding.

Just when Mary thinks things can't get any worse, her father, Salvatore (Alex Rocco), takes it upon himself to fix his daughter's love life by pre-arranging her marriage to Massimo Lanzetta (Justin Chambers), who just arrived from Sicily. Massimo has been in love with Mary since childhood and does his best to woo her.

It's a showdown between love and logic with the future of Mary's heart at stake.

Will she finally find her own true love or settle for Massimo? You'll have to watch to find out. Yes it's sort of a chick flick, but a cute movie worth watching.

Rated PG-13.