JOE'S APARTMENT
US, 1996, 80 minutes, Colour.
Jerry O' Connell, Megan Ward, Billy West, Jim Turner, Robert Vaughn, David Huddleston. Voices of: Reginald Hudlin, Pepa, Don Ho, Jim Sterling.
Directed by John Payson.
You may not believe it when you are told that this film is a musical about Joe, from Iowa, and the cockroaches in his New York apartment. But it is. And quite an amusing oddity. Amplified from an MTV short, we have the usual story of the eager young man from the mid-west who can't get a job, finds a run-down apartment that big money needs so that it can be pulled down for a modern techno-prison, falls in love with the `green' daughter of a corrupt senator, falls foul of thugs, but who is helped to success by all his singing and dancing cockroach friends - well, the last part may not be so familiar, but it is enjoyable and quite brief. You haven't seen this before!
1. An offbeat entertainment? Comic? Social issues? Musical?
2. The impact of the live-action, the New York settings, the apartment, interiors, the streets, offices? The style of the animation? The contribution of the range of voices? The musical score, the insertion of the songs?
3. Joe, University, poverty, coming to New York City? The encounter with Walter? The inheritance? The rent -controlled apartments? Of the demolition?
4. Senator Dougherty, politics, wanting the demolition, using his thugs, the personalities and intimidation? His motivations?
5. The cockroaches, their number, their liking Joe, their voices, singing, attacking the thugs?
6. Joe, his playing with Walter’s band? Wanting to be independent?
7. The encounter with Lily, putting up the posters, her ambitions for the garden? Her father and Joan not knowing?
8. Lily, going to the apartment, liking Joe, the encounter with the cockroaches, her fright?
9. The burning of the stadium, the sabotage of the building?
10. Joe, upset with the cockroaches, the response, calling on the help of all the creatures around New York City, cockroaches and rats? All doing the rebuilding?
11. The critical condemnation of the film, its failure at the box office? Something of a cult film?
