This one is a gem from start to finish. It starts out with Joe having to give an unprepared talk, allowing George O'Hanlon to flawlessly act out every public speaker who's ever had flop sweat. From there, the movie examines Joe's wimpiness to an almost embarrassing degree.
Finally, Joe seeks the help of a shrink who's so incisive, he correctly guesses the plots of three of Joe's previous movies in two-and-a-half seconds. This leads to a Western dream sequence (another of those comedy bits that's now a cliche, but still perfectly rendered here), followed by Joe going back to his office and completely losing his inhibitions -- and having to pay the price for it.
Comedy neurosis on parade, 20 years before Woody Allen made a name for himself with it. Superb. And all hail Clifton Young, in the first of his many memorable appearances as Joe's full-of-himself co-worker, Homer Hotbox.
Our rating: (C) 2012, Steve Bailey.
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