Joe's Apartment (1996)

Silly, unamusing and way too normal, MTV's first foray into feature films, based on John Payson's short film which they aired in the early 90's, doesn't make any headway in it's short 90 minute running time. Payson returns to script and direct this feature length incarnation but the appeal has worn off.

Jerry O'Connell ("Stand by Me," TV's "Sliders") is cute as the lead but watching his visage for 90 minutes isn't enough to entertain us. So, the stars of the show become thousands of cockroaches, many of them real and many of them computer animated, who speak and sing in "Chipmunk" type voices. Their songs are cute, but they reek of kiddie tunes. They never rock. The California Raisons are Led Zeppelin compared to these singing vermin. It's whimsical at first, but, eventually, it gets to be boring. Meanwhile, the rest of the film is never edgy or outrageous. The plot is paper thin and the acting is silly. Watching David Huddleston as the "Urinal Cake King of New York" isn't interesting. Don Ho and Salt-N-Pepa's Pepa have cameos but they add nothing. And Robert Vaughn is degraded as he is made to play a politician with transvestite tendencies for laughs.

Overall, the film is totally unsatisfying.

Note:

Some band plays live!

Review written in 1996

Report Card

Script: F

Acting: D+

Cinematography\Lighting: C-

Special Effects\Make Up: B+

Music: C+

Final Grade: D-