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Most mainstream critics were not bothered by the character's attempt to find self-worth through romantic conquest. They seemed more preoccupied with whether or not the movie botched the book's unique storytelling style. "Glory be, they didn't muck it up," exclaims Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times. "Bridget Jones's Diary has been made against all odds into a funny movie that understands the charm of the original, and preserves it." Anthony Lane at The New Yorker says the film starts out strong but then, "the director and her screenwriters give up on the choppy, staccato attitude of the original and settle into the more comfortable, dozy rhythms of the romantic comedy: will-she, won't-she; win-one, lose-one. Somewhere along the way, [the film] has lost its sardonic bite, its grind of comic desperation, and softened into entertaining mush." He concludes, "It should therefore do solid business."

"The jokes in this satirical comedy bomb so frequently, the actors should receive hazard pay," says MovieParables' Michael Elliott. He notes the film's attempts to lampoon the rock music industry, the commercialization of its stars, and the marketing of products that goes on in promoting popular artists. In conclusion, he writes, "Someone really ought to make a movie to humorously skewer both of these subjects. … Josie and the Pussycats just isn't up to it." Movieguide complains that, although the film deals with "positive virtues," overall it "has a tacky feel." Most mainstream critics sounded like watching the film was a chore. Roger Ebert wrote, "Maybe it's supposed to sound like brainless pre-teen fodder, but it's not good enough at being bad to be funny, and stops merely at the bad stage."

But at Crosswalk, Phil Boatwright takes a stand defending the film. "I actually had a good time with Josie and the Pussycats. They made me laugh. I was pleased to find that the lead ladies were more about doing the right thing than extolling girl power. There's no heavy message in this comic adventure, other than friendship being more important than financial gain. It's just family-friendly fluff." The reviewer at Preview agrees: "Pussycats is a fun, funny and lively experience aimed at teenagers. But there's nothing subliminal about the messages. Josie, Melody, and Val learn the importance of friendship and being honest about who you are." (The unnamed reviewer cautions parents, however, that the Pussycats' costumes "leave little to the imagination.") The U.S. Catholic Conference says the film is "silly fun as well as a snapshot of today's pop culture."

Joe Dirt is the invention of comedian David Spade and the latest in the long line of goofy characters paraded onto the big screen by Saturday Night Live alumni in hopes of creating a franchise. As we have seen with such disposable comedies as A Night at the Roxbury, The Ladies' Man, and Superstar, this rarely works. And Spade's Joe, a persecuted redneck janitor, doesn't look to be one that makes as big a splash as the inventions of Mike Meyers or Adam Sandler.

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April (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45