With the exception of Clue and possibly Dirty Work, there’s not a single movie I’ve watched more times in my life than Joe Dirt. To paraphrase This Is Spinal Tap, it finds that fine line between stupid and clever and rides along it in a Rambler Wagon for 93 glorious minutes of mullets, meteors and screaming mimis. That last part, its unapologetic obsession with fireworks, gives the movie arguably its most referenced scene, a ridiculous trip to a roadside sparklers stand where David Spade goes off about the lack of options. It’s hilarious and quintessentially American, which is why the comedian, who has found a way to be funny in a ton of different projects, decided to reference it more than two decades later in honor of The 4th Of July.
Spade was apparently in Kentucky and decided to go looking for a fireworks stand. As someone who grew up in Indiana and now lives in Missouri, I can confirm it’s not hard to find them in most states in the Midwest, and to Spade’s credit, he found a big one. You can tell the woman is starstruck the second he walks in, but she loosens up and has a great time with the longtime Saturday Night Live star as he uses the Joe Dirt voice and riffs on the beloved scene. He’s clearly in his element, at least until she tells him the price for The Godfather. Watch the magic below, which Spade dropped on social media…
Like I said, I’m a Midwest guy. I know my way around fireworks. I watched multiple neighbors risk blowing off their fingers last night to light up some redneck flammables that probably shouldn’t even be legal. I’m sure I’ll see more of that tonight. So, nothing about fireworks really surprises me, but like David Spade, I did a double take when I heard this woman say The Godfather costs $899, discounted from $1300. That’s more than a lot of people around here pay in rent each month. I can’t even begin to imagine how loud and vibrant that must be. You can probably see it for miles.
Expensive fireworks or not, I can’t imagine David Spade thought Joe Dirt would be so well remembered decades later while he was making it, but there’s something to be said for movies that fully embrace their tone and never waver or apologize. Everyone involved in Joe Dirt just got the assignment perfectly. Spade is obviously great, but so are his co-stars Jaime Pressly, Adam Beach, Brittany Daniel, Kid Rock, Dennis Miller and of course, Christopher Walken who leans into weird even by Christopher Walken standards. They’re collectively the reason it got a sequel and the reason it’s still so widely referenced today.
Happy 4th Of July, everyone. Celebrate in whatever way you feel best, whether that’s watching Joe Dirt, visiting your local fireworks stand or doing whatever it is you do to celebrate America.