If there ever was an outcast movie it’s Joe’s Apartment. It captures the feeling of moving from a small town to a bigger one just so freaking well that it’s amazing. And this is only the beginning of the list. It continues with a career of a musician, the type of music, and basically everything else about this movie. It’s very endearing and at the same time a bit gross. Mostly because of all the cockroaches. Yes, if you’re squeamish, you might want to skip this one as they play a major role in the story. However, they also give it a strange, almost Gremlins vibe. And they look freaking good like you wouldn’t believe this is a movie from 1993. Something that’s not surprising considering that the special effects app is the same one used for Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park.
As you probably know, Subversive Rabbit has always loved movies about all kinds of creatures. And cockroaches are not an exception. So, if you would like to see more of them check out our list Chittering Means Death: Cockroach Movies. You can also take a wild guess what’s the first movie on this list. I’ve seen this movie when I was younger and it really stuck with me throughout all these years. Every time I helped a friend move or I moved myself, I remembered it. Joe’s Apartment is the first movie MTV produced and it is a fucking masterpiece. And I just loved their tagline: Sex, Bugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Meet Joe, a strapping young lad on his way to New York to fulfill his destiny. That destiny leads him to a rent-controlled apartment in the bad part of the city. Broke, lonely, and looking for a job, he’s trying his best. What he doesn’t know is that he has a bunch of friends already living with him. Actually, there are thousands of them.
I still can’t get over just how original the story is here. And it’s not that it’s just one aspect of it that’s original but the whole thing is freaking beautiful. I mean, you even have the romance aspect. Not to mention the music and fashion. A sleeveless Obituary t-shirt never goes out of fashion! And they were for real, in case you were wondering. Just diving straight in with honesty and huge amounts of creativity. This makes Joe’s Apartment a perfect choice for your date night. If you want to hint to your potential mate just how cool and quirky you are, there’s no better movie. And you can follow it up with Freaked just to be sure they got the message.
Plus it also stars incredibly cute and talented Megan Ward. The cast of Joe’s Apartment is small but incredibly well picked. Jerry O’Connell was the perfect “new guy”, giving a pitch-perfect performance that fits so well with the tone of the movie. And Megan Ward was Megan Ward, a girlfriend that you dream about. I think it’s beside the point to talk about how this is one of the few movies about cockroaches when I already mentioned an entire list featuring those movies. But really, this is the cutest one of them all. And it’s also really funny and relatable. Especially if you’re that guy/gal with monetary issues who’s into weird stuff.
Director: John Payson
Writer: John Payson
Cast: Jerry O’Connell, Megan Ward, Billy West, Reginald Hudlin, Robert Vaughn, Frank Bello, Don Ho, Pepa
Fun Facts: The feature film debut of voice actor Billy West. He would go on to play Philip J. Fry in Futurama and Bugs Bunny / Elmer Fudd in Space Jam.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116707/
