The short-film roots of this comedy are clearly visible in a padded, bloated final result that fails to maintain audience interest for its complete running time. Jerry O'Connell, self-conscious and somewhat smug as an actor, is no Jim Carrey, and unfortunately for everyone concerned, the latter actor's reliable brand of feverishly energetic comedy is what is needed here. As straight man to singing and dancing special-effects vermin, O'Connell carries the film on shoulders that are simply too thin, his smirk never ingratiating, his character never developed beyond two dimensions. The attempt to mine humor from cockroaches, urinal cakes, and overflowing toilets comes up dry, and the film, despite having what can only marginally be considered a feature-length running time, seems to stretch out over an eternity. Woefully bland for a comedy that purports to be of the "gross out" variety, Joe's Apartment (1996) and its creator John Payson could stand to learn a thing or two from the Farrelly brothers.