TheSNLroster of the early-to-mid 90s is one defined by personalities that were outsized, even by the standards of that perennial late-night comedy program. There was the chameleonicMike Myers, who seemed to be working in the mold of someone likePeter Sellers. There was also the human wrecking-ball energy of someone likeChris Farley, whose most memorable characters (surely, we all rememberMatt Foley, motivational speaker) brought audiences to their knees with laughter. Then, of course, there wasDavid Spade, an Arizona-raised standup who came to the show equipped with a surfeit of one quality in particular that made him stand out amongst his contemporaries: smarm.
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David Spade Is Known for Sarcasm
As anyone who has seenTommy Boyor theGrown Upsmovies knows, Spade is fluent in the language of sarcasm. The characters he plays are quick with a put-down. Often, they radiate insecurity and suppressed self-loathing. Spade has yet to get theUncut Gemstreatment; perhaps there is an auteur director out there who might be able to fashion a probing dramatic vehicle for the comedian, provided he were to even be interested. For the most part, though, Spade has displayed little in the way of interest when it comes to switching up his style. Why should he? The guy’s made good money playing variations on the same prickly, condescending asshole in movie after movie, in a career that now officially spans decades. Can you blame him for sticking to the script?
In ‘Joe Dirt,’ David Spade Played Against Type
2001’sJoe Dirtis the exception to the rule. The film sees Spade capably playing against type: instead of a cynical d-bag, here, theBlack Sheepstar is cast as a naïve, mullet-rocking innocent, the kind of bumbling fool who might ordinarily be played by someone like Spade’sSNLpal,Adam Sandler. Spade’s persona is that of a guy who fancies himself the smartest guy in the room, when, in fact, he’s not nearly as clever as he fancies himself to be. The nominal hero ofJoe Dirt, meanwhile, is guileless, at times, even idiotic. It’s certainly a curious fit for Spade on paper, but it’s to the man’s credit that he mostly manages to make the transition work, asJoe Dirtremains an undeniable high point as far as his solo body of work is concerned.
Some context: up untilJoe Dirt, Spade’s major movie vehicles saw him serving as a second banana to Chris Farley. It proved to be a match made in comedy heaven: Spade would insult Farley, Farley would become enraged and go after Spade, cue laughs. Farley passed away in 1997; he and Spade only starred in two buddy comedies together, but their chemistry was so potent and infectious that audiences were left with the impression that the pair could have headlined maybe a half-dozen more movies together.
In the wake of this tragedy, Spade sought to redefine himself as a leading man. He attempted to hold down standard rom-com duties in 1999’s largely forgottenLost & Found, where he co-starred alongside none other thanSophie Marceau. Spade also lent his voice talents to the animated kid’s flickThe Emperor’s New Groove, which one could argue foreshadowed his eventual involvement in theHotel Transylvaniaflicks.
‘Joe Dirt’ Is an Acquired Taste - But It Works
Joe Dirtwas a gamble in more ways than one. The film was Spade’s first real standalone venture, the implication being that he would be sold to crowds as a kind ofJim Carreyor Mike Myers-style marquee star. The movie, directed byDennie Gordon(who had previously directedMary-KateandAshley OlseninNew York Minute, andAmanda BynesinWhat a Girl Wants) and co-written by Spade withSNLcohortFred Wolf, was also the third studio offering from Adam Sandler’s then-fledgling media empire Happy Madison, on the heels ofLittle NickyandDeuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo(the latter of which had attempted to make the same star transformation happen forRob Schneider). EvenJoe Dirt’slogline – a trailer-trash janitor recalls his life story,Forrest Gump-style, on an L.A. radio station, all in the hopes of reuniting with the parents who abandoned him at the Grand Canyon – sounded too silly to actually work.
WhileJoe Dirtmay be the very definition of an acquired taste, it’s also not even the least bit interested in being seen as serious. After all, Spade had to eventually break out of the long shadow cast by the death of his formidably talented best friend and beloved screen partner. What better way to do just that than by headlining a proudly pea-brained farce about a braying moron, in a motion picture whose sense of humor could best be described asHee Hawby way of aCaptain Underpantsbook?
Yes, there are gags about poop and pee and even incest inJoe Dirt. High art, this movie is not. Somehow, though,Dirtnever feels cruel or mean-spirited in the way that so many gross-out comedies from the ’90s and 2000s so often did. Sure, the movieis almost cheerfully lewd when it isn’t outright nonsensical; a subplot that involvesChristopher Walkenas a mob lackey living in witness protection and moonlighting as a custodian is so bizarre that it almost takes you out of the movie. It helps thatJoe Dirtis also one of the sweetest non-Sandler items in the tertiary Happy Madison oeuvre, though it’s understandable that not everyone will take to its sniggering jokes about alligator wrasslin’ and fecal asteroids.
‘Joe Dirt’ Remains a Fascinating Entry in David Spade’s Filmography
Somehow, Spade brings the whole thing home. It’s interesting that the comic is often so much more engaging when cast as a well-meaning numbskull; it’s not that he can’t do the smarmy-prep routine in his sleep, it’s only that, without Farley, the acid of those characterizations often makes it genuinely difficult to warm up to any of the characters he plays. Again,Joe Dirtis the exception: in spite of how pitiful or moronic the movie’s lead character can be, Spade’s performance ensures that he is never anything less than fundamentally likable and easy to root for.
Joe Dirtwas a respectable and somewhat unexpected hit, going on to gross upwards of $30 million at the box office on a budget of about $17 million. The film allowed Spade to headline a few more theatrical studio comedies in the years to come, though these efforts mostly offer diminishing returns on Spade’s shtick. Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star,another Happy Madison product,sees Spade returning to his snide old tricks as a washed-up B-lister, whileThe Benchwarmerswas a miserable sports comedy in which Spade split headlining duties with Rob Schneider andNapoleon Dynamitehimself,Jon Heder. In the years since, Spade has continued to crank outsolo vehicles forNetflix(2020’sThe Wrong Missywas actually seen by more people than you’d think), all whileJoe Dirtitself has continued to develop a cult following. A woeful, straight-to-Crackle sequel,Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, was released in 2015, but fans of the firstDirtdidn’t seem to notice or care much one way or another: after all, who needs a continuation of theJoe Dirtwhen fans can simply rewatch the genuine article?
David Spade will always be David Spade. You either find him funny, or you don’t. He’s made good movies and bad movies, and even featured in a handful of great ones (Tommy Boyis a venerated modern classic). At the end of the day,Joe Dirtremains a fascinating anomaly in its star’s body of work: it’s the rare instance where the simpering straight man dared to play a complete clown, and somehow pulled it off.
