'The Adventures of Joe Dirt' stars David Spade in the title role as a drifter who was abandoned by his parents at the Grand Canyon when he was only eight-years-old. When he attracts the attention of a local DJ (played by Dennis Miller), he is put on air to tell everyone listening the adventures of his life.
"People see me as myself on 'Just Shoot Me' and that seems to work and is fine, but that's enough," Spade said. "I wanted to do something drastic with this film. I wanted a big character who was funny, had a funny name, a plot that was easy on the love interest and make it just like 'Tommy Boy'-- the funniest jokes back to back. Then Fred (Wolf) came up with the idea of this nice guy people would be pulling for and it was the funniest way to go."
Working next to your friends may seem to have its advantages, but as Spade soon learned, it can also be an awkward time.
"Usually as a writer/performer you can get boxed out in a certain way, but I had an open door with Adam Sandler as the executive producer," Spade said. "He wanted me to help out and make his job easier. He let me choose the wig I wanted to wear no matter how over the top it was. Still, it was weird to have Sandler giving notes because once we were equal-- doing stand up and 'Saturday Night Live'-- but he is clearly the more successful movie guy now and I realize that there is a hierarchy there. He was my boss and if he wanted something changed I could either change it or put up an argument and at the end of the day know it had to be changed anyway. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable because I knew that it was because of him that this film was being made, so if something needed to be changed I did it."
Unfortunately for the cast and crew of 'Joe Dirt,' the only changes that were made in the script didn't come from Sandler and the other producers of the show. Like most comedies, 'The Adventures of Joe Dirt' had its run ins with the MPAA. What they wanted changed, however, stunned everyone in the cast.
