Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- irreverent
- upbeat
- cartoonish
- cult movie night
- 1990s nostalgia night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film's upbeat musical concept unable to overcome its grimy gross-out humor, weak human characters, and repetitive roach sequences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The 50,000 cockroaches speak, sing, dance, and become Joe's closest friends.
The cockroaches are integrated into Joe's live-action apartment and musical sequences.
Joe arrives from Iowa and searches New York for an extremely cheap apartment.
The apartment, cockroaches, and pink disinfectant urinal cakes drive the film's deliberately distasteful jokes.
Films like Joe's Apartment, and why
Mouse Hunt
Both are irreverent fantasy comedies built around exaggerated physical humor and unconventional nonhuman characters.
Casper
Both combine live-action comedy with animated or digitally enhanced creatures, slapstick chaos, and a playful outsider protagonist.
The Blues Brothers
Both use musical numbers, surreal comic premises, and broad gross-out humor in an intentionally cartoonish style.
Movie Details
- Director
- John Payson
- Release Date
- 1996-07-26
- Runtime
- 81 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (391)
Cast
- Jerry O'Connell
- Megan Ward
- Billy West
- Reginald Hudlin
- Willi One Blood
- Tracy Vilar
- Sandra 'Pepa' Denton
- Robert Vaughn
- Shiek Mahmud-Bey
- Jon Spencer
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Joe's Apartment about?
- A cash-strapped Iowa transplant finds unlikely companionship when his bargain New York apartment comes with a singing, dancing cockroach community.
- What is Joe's Apartment like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Joe's Apartment as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Joe's Apartment violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Joe's Apartment.
- What did critics think of Joe's Apartment?
- Critics broadly found the film's upbeat musical concept unable to overcome its grimy gross-out humor, weak human characters, and repetitive roach sequences.
- Which films are like Joe's Apartment?
- Films with a similar feel include Mouse Hunt, Casper, and The Blues Brothers.
- How long is Joe's Apartment?
- Joe's Apartment runs 81 minutes.
- Where can I watch Joe's Apartment?
- In United States, Joe's Apartment is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
