Jack of All Trades (2000) User Reviews

A fantastic, over-the-top action/comedy gem

[Jim-D · 9/10 · 27 June 2007]

Jack of all Trades chronicles the misadventures of Jack Styles (Bruce Campbell), a US special agent who is shipped off to the island country of Palau Palau in the year 1801. His mission there? Team up with a British agent and, together, thwart the occupying French forces that have taken over the peaceful Pacific island community.

Jack soon discovers that in order to get the people of Palau Palau behind him, he must pander to their beliefs. Dressing up as a Zorro-like avenger known as The Daring Dragoon, Jack fights off the French, pirates, mad scientists, the Marquis de Sade, and various other wacky villains.

The show incorporates historic figures into each show, even if they weren't around in 1801, when the series takes place. Most notably included in the series are Napoleon (played by Mini-Me, Verne Troyer), Lewis and Clark, the aforementioned Marquis de Sade, Benjamin Franklin, Blackbeard the Priate, and the seemingly mad King George.

The series lasted only 22 episodes, but each one gets funnier and funnier. Its a true shame that the series didn't nab a second season, as the characters were all truly coming into their own by the time the show was canceled.

If you're looking for Three Stooges-style slapstick, insane alternate history, and a very healthy dose of Mr. Campbell, check out this DVD boxed set. Its well worth the inexpensive price tag.

Viva la Jack!!!

It's Bruce Campbell at his best.

[Java_Joe · 8/10 · 21 November 2018]

It's a shame that this show never lasted more than one and a half seasons because this world needs more Bruce Campbell.

When Xena and Hercules were winding down, Sam Raimi's production company was looking for more opportunities. Some of them, like "Cleopatra 2525", weren't that fondly remembered but "Jack of All Trades" was. And it all starts at the theme song. No word of lie, it's possibly one of the catchiest theme songs ever and was even nominated for an Emmy.

Bruce plays Jack Stiles, an American spy sent to the small French island of Pulau Pulau somewhere in the South Pacific to effectively spy on Napoleon Bonaparte. To do this he teams up with a lovely British spy and love interest and they play the roles of an ambassador and her attache. And then when necessary Jack takes on the guise of a hero of legend in those parts known as the Daring Dragoon and takes on Napoleon's forces while keeping his identity and Emilia's safe.

It's played tongue in cheek, Bruce is at his snarky best, and Angela Dotchin who plays Amelia is ridiculously easy on the eyes. There's lots of historical anachronisms, Napoleon is played by Verne Troyer a.k.a. Mini Me from the Austin Powers movies. It's just a load of fun from start to finish.

If you like Bruce Campbell and don't mind something ridiculous, give it a look.

Bizarre is a good description

[proffate · 7/10 · 25 November 2007]

For starters, this would have been a complete disaster with anybody but Bruce Campbell in the lead. He manages to salvage something out of a show with horrific scripts.

The premise: Jack (Campbell) is a US spy in 1801, sent by president Thomas Jefferson to an obscure island to subvert Napoleon's expansionism in that part of the world. There he teams up with a gorgeous British spy to accomplish his mission. To do this, he assumes the identity of Dragoon, a Zorro-like folk hero.

It's a comedy, but the action sequences tend to be the highlights of the show. Much of the "comedy" seems to be junior high double entendres. (A parrot is warned that his girlfriend would leave him for a cockatoo.) I suspect that Campbell cringed over many of the lines he had to deliver but in Hollywood, a successful actor is a working actor. So if his character, in 1801, has to reference Little Orphan Annie, then so be it.

Nutshell: it's fun to watch, with a truly rousing theme song, but sophomoric writing brings it down.

Just about the wittiest thing ever.

[chrisandrews · 7 October 2000]

At first I couldn't stand this. But then one day, for some reason, I watched an episode. I found myself enjoying possibly the best program made ever. The comical banter between the two main characters Jack (Campbell) and Emilia (Dotchin) is perfectly laden with innuendo. Sure this relies on bending history for plot lines and uses the most rediculous of stereotypes for characters (the French are superbly played up), but I can sit for 30 minutes a week now with a silly grin on my face and enjoy. At that, folks, it pure entertainment.

Bruce Campbell's spectacle

[btbsite · 10/10 · 4 May 2006]

JACK OF ALL TRADES is mostly fun and spectacle, in the twenty minutes of each episode we have great slapstick as only Bruce Campbell can do, great swordfights, really bad ( but funny, often politically incorrect ) one-liners, talking parrots, jokes about the french and to summarize it, it can be very immature. But good executed. So a whole lot of fun. It's comparable to Brisco County in the fact that modern inventions are often used as deus ex machina, but it is not as emotionally. The whole setting reminds more of the Wild,Wild West Movie than of Brisco. The guests are great fun, for instance Verne Troyer as Napoleon goes where Mini-me of Austin Powers not even dared to.

Watch it for the fun of it.

Jack of all Talent!!!

[Bob__Loblaw · 10/10 · 11 February 2000]

I am yet again impressed with the stuff that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell come up with. This is a silly and immensely entertaining show. It by far has the BEST opening theme song I have ever heard or seen. Bruce is the most entertaining ham to come along in years. His guest appearances on Xena and Hercules were the best episodes they ever made. I can Hardly wait to see a film with Raimi, Campbell and frequent collaborators, the Coen Brothers, working together in another film. Maybe some Briscoe County movies could be in the future!!

Infectious and engaging

[mark-1984 · 10/10 · 24 October 2006]

First of all, this is a silly, and irreverent show that obviously does not take itself seriously. Therefore, neither should the viewer.

It is the absolute pinnacle of "low-brow" humor ... which is exactly what it is aiming for. It's a real shame this show did not survive more than one and a half seasons ... fortunately it's preserved in one DVD set to be enjoyed over and over.

Bruce Campbell is at his best, and he's surrounded by a supporting cast that plays well to the far-fetched, hokey scripts. This is definitely not for those who expect to be enlightened or "challenged" by their television. This is pure, unadulterated fun.

It should also be noted that this show has, quite possibly, the catchiest 'theme song' in television history.

The most entertaining thing I've seen for a long time

[whatsyourboggle · 10/10 · 27 March 2017]

Those who follow my rare reviews know I never rate titles this high, but I can't get enough of this show! I heard about it from the Nostalgia Critic's favourite TV show intros video and I can't thank him enough. It's schlocky, cliché ridden, goofy as all hell, has great dialogue, fun action scenes, and fantastically entertaining characters.

And the intro is the best thing ever :D Bruce Campbell is a legend, and you can disagree and that's OK, you're allowed to be wrong. He brings so much to the character that makes it work where other actors couldn't. There's comedic racism in the portrayal of French characters, outrageous accents worthy of Monty Python's Holy Grail and such, but there's a feeling of the whole thing being tongue in cheek rather than offensive. What I like as well though is that while the heroes of course show up the villains in ways that would make Colonel Robert Hogan proud, the baddies never seem completely inept, while they're outmatched in the action it feels like they stand a chance.

Fans of Adam West's Batman will love this show. There are steampunk elements (always a winner for me!) and references to things like hamburgers and other such modern things that rather than break immersion (though it does) of the period, just add to the awesomeness of the characters. But despite being ridiculous and cheesy, some of the writing is genuinely really well done and the plots, worthy of 20s silent heroics, are varied and feel fresh each time.

I can't gush enough about how much I love this show. The only downside is, there are strong female characters, which is awesome, but the leading lass comes across as intolerably smug sometimes, which irritates me. It's tragic that this only ran for two seasons, but the quality makes up for its short run, and you can find it on YouTube. Get over there and watch it, I don't think I've not enjoyed a single minute of the first season so far.

How did that happen?

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 12 June 2013]

If you have the Jack of all trades, you actually should be winning, right? Seems the correct answer was ... yes and no. Yes in regards to the comedy and how it seems to come across to a lot of people, but not when it comes to ratings. It's incredible, how this show (as is true with some others, Brisco County being one Bruce Campbell was involved with too) did not make the cut. Or rather was cut. And what a cut. I watched the "whole series", which actually seems to be missing an end of the season (22 episodes suggest, that at least 2 episodes went AWOL).

Which brings me to the point of my rating. I actually would have given this at least an 8/10. But you are left hanging without a (re)solution, which makes this at least a bit weak. And I had to add this to the whole mix. The humor, which while "contemporary" (meaning the lingo being used was rather from the 21st century), does hit the spot and does not disappoint at all. It doesn't even completely get you out of the historical context of the movie. Even the mixing of real characters with fictional events is a lot of fun (which is more than intended).

If you can let your guard down (excuse the pun), than you will have a great time watching the 20+ minutes episodes (without commercials) on Disc!

Go Get'em Jack!

[wgpursell-1 · 10/10 · 25 January 2018]

Have loved the series ever since I first watched it. And all I have to do is think of Bruce and I bring out the series to watch it again. I some how must have gotten the theme to the episodes on my computer,which ,in turn,somehow ended up on my iPad when I transfer the songs from my computer to the iPad. I looked for the info as to exactly WHO did the theme song for the series but could find nothing. Nothing that I could see either in the credits for each episode OR on the jacket for the three disk set even mentioned the theme for Jack of All Trades. So I guess that info as to the Artists that performed the theme will forever remain a mystery,much to my regret.

A good time show

[Brittany224622 · 7/10 · 14 July 2022]

It's campy for sure, but that's kind of what makes it good. It doesn't take itself so seriously. I discovered this from my older cousin who told my about it. I am a Sam Rami fan and definitely a Bruce Campbell fan and I ended up liking this show. It's funny, witty and a good time. I just wish they did more episodes of it.

A lot better than I remembered

[necredeye · 10/10 · 26 September 2006]

When this first came out I was living in an area that only aired a handful of the episodes. Maybe six of them. And although I loved Bruce Campbell and Brisco County, I remember thinking that this show just wasn't very good.

However, thanks to the wonders of DVD I have been able to revisit the story and tons of episodes I never got to see. And to my pleasant surprise, the show is very entertaining. Yes, there is a lot of cheese, but it's way more mature than I remember. Nearly every episode features a half dozen sexual references, many of which are unsuitable for children. Meaning I loved them! The show has good fight choreography, interesting ideas, and the acting is all great. Nearly all of the characters are likable. I must admit, I didn't like Verne Troyer's Napoleon. His acting is the worst. But the entire ensemble is generally awesome.

I highly recommend this series.

What history books are they reading?

[Grandbear · 2/10 · 3 September 2006]

The 'Trivia' notes for this series states that all historical figures were, in fact, alive and active at the time of the series' setting. Well, let's see, the series is set in 1801. Blackbeard, portrayed in two episodes, died in 1718. Catherine the Great died in 1796, Ben Franklin in 1790, George Washington in 1799, the Marquis de Sade is hardly depicted as the 64-year-old he was in 1801, while Lewis and Clark are depicted as old and decrepit though they were 27 and 31... What history books were the people who wrote those 'Trivia' notes reading? The premise of a period comedy starring Bruce Campbell was intriguing enough for me to waste my money and buy this set. I still think the idea could have been an effective comedy. However, 'Jack of All Trades' is 8th-grade-boy humor with a tiresome overkill of sexual innuendo. Each successive episode is increasingly predictable and it is little wonder the show was canceled.

It's About Time!!

[drunk-2 · 25 January 2000]

The Plot overview here isn't entirely correct. It is the early 19th century when "Jack of All Trades" takes place and he is an American agent working with Emilia, a British agent, against the evil Imperialist forces of Napoleon. "J.O.A.T" has almost everything that one could demand in a TV show, swashbuckling, sword fighting, action, early 19th century hotties and a super hero (That's right Jack (already a secret agent) gets to have a mask wearing dual identity, called the Dragoon), and most importantly it stars Bruce Campbell. Jack also has something else that most shows have been lacking these last few years, that being a rocking, rollicking theme song. The song is sung by dancing Pirates, Bar Maids and Revolutionary Soldiers as well as a singing parrot. Jack himself is the perfect hero for Bruce Campbell to play, described as a "Scoundrel with a Heart" by the theme. Jack is like a fusion between James Bond, the Scarlet Pimpernel (except not as fopish), Zorro and most importantly now Ash. The only shame is that unlike it's older siblings "Hercules" and "Xena", "Jack of All Trades is only half and hour long. Oh well maybe this will draw in people with short attention spans.

Great Great Great

[ab-2 · 10/10 · 8 August 2000]

This show is just great. It's funny and has great acting and is also a little bit educational when it comes to 19th century America. I predict that Jack of All Trades will be on for a long time on television and who knows, they may make a movie on it.

The Daring Dragoon Wins

[Tweetienator · 8/10 · 18 January 2017]

I found this little pearl by chance - after the great resurrection of Mr. Bruce Campbell in Ash vs. Evil Dead I did some research on the works of my old hero (the first Evil Dead movies were besides Romeros zombie movies the pleasure of my young life then) and stumbled over Jack of All Trades.

Campbell plays Jack Stiles, an American spy stationed on a South Pacific island in 1801, working against Napoleon's colonizing efforts. In disguise as the Daring Dragoon (reminds me of another old hero of my youth called Zorro) he gives the French imperial troops and the governor a real hard time - with his wits and fencing skills.

Comedy as it is, it has the marvelous "taste" of Bruces Campbell's humor and if you like Ash vs. Evil Dead you will like this one too and imo it beats most of the recent comedy shows easy, well maybe not Big Bang Theory.

What I also like a lot is the playfulness and immense chemistry between Jack Stiles and his side-kick Mrs. Emilia Smythe Rothschild (a spy of the English empire), played superb by Angela Marie Dotchin. She does not only contribute her charming female skills and wits but is also an inventor of machines and other stuff to aid their fight against the evil French (which are in their own idotic way really charming). So in truth Mrs. Rothschild is the predecessor of all the Qs of the espionage and counterespionage world.

If you like Bruce Campbell and/or comedy you can't do wrong with this one. Thumbs up!

Most anachronistic show.. I love it.

[PollyLobster · 8/10 · 18 May 2010]

Before you sit down to watch this show, get your history books. Have you got them? Good. Now put them out of your reach and discard whatever knowledge you have readily available. This show has anachronistic references, language and persons. And yet, it delivers roughly 22 minutes of undiluted fun and games. I've seen others review this show negatively due to the historic persons who are sometimes decades out of place. Well, so what? The story takes place on a fictitious island called Pulau Pulau, the governor of which is a stereotypical, campy French man, an over the top British lady inventor (whose attractiveness is comparable only to Earth's gravitational pull), and a man (Campbell) who is so present-day American and corny that you have to love it. It has been compared to previous series of the same type (Xena, Hercules) but is superior in many ways, because it doesn't assume too much about itself. Both those shows, however campy and silly they may have been, always had some sort of moral undertone. This show is just silly, goofy and a wonderful insult to every nationality represented in it. You have to love it. Verne Troyer plays Napoleon. The second you see him, nobody in their right mind could possibly have anything negative to say about the anachronistic premise of this show.

It's wonderful, engaging and short enough not to get too much. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon, when all you want to do is sit back and be entertained. It's not Brisco County Jr., but fun to watch nonetheless. It's slapstick humour, bad (and I do mean baaaad) puns and overacting extraordinaire. Reminds me a bit of the old Batman from the '60s. Which is nothing but a compliment.

I so love this programme

[greg-goremykin · 9/10 · 31 October 2020]

I'm admittedly a very big Bruce Campbell fan, I love both his books (which are surprisingly touching in places), all his terrible B movies even.

I can't really say too much more than other fans of this show said so well 20 years ago now (20 years???), most reviews being contemporary to when this was airing.

I love the historical inaccuracies that place this series on a different Earth than our own, one where Wolfe was beaten on the Plains of Abraham and Canada remained/become more fully French, being ruled by Napoleon; it leads so much more room for the writers to take things in completely unexpected directions with history completely fluid and mostly unknown. Things like that, other little things like the peg-legged pirate dancing a jig on top of a pub table in the opening credits even (such a little touch, but there are soooo many little touches like that) have made this a show I've never forgotten and watch every few years or so from beginning to end still (on DVD, I'd so love a Bluray release).

This is one of those series that I cherish as almost "all mine" because it's so unknown to the average TV watcher, or maybe even fan of the Sam Raimi films Mr. Campbell starred in. Another side of me just thinks about what an absolute pity that this didn't catch on the way I think it could have if, say, it came out today with audiences having an increased tolerance if not even penchant for quirky settings and scripts.

For a historical comedy-action series, this way so very much ahead of its time, and I really believe it would have done fantastically ratings wise if it were to come out as a new series on Netflix in 2020, it would be a smash hit. It was worthy of a good 5 or 6 seasons I think before it could get stale because of such a wide breadth of directions the writers could have taken this, and a very real seeming emotional rapport between the two leads. But, alas, not to be and all that, but for the episodes that were produced, they are just that much more precious to me by how relatively few there are.

If you are a fan of 60s screwball action-adventure-comedy series or films (I was reminded a bit in very good ways of the "Our Man Flint" series, or even "Get Smart"), I'm quite sure you'd like this, but it isn't a prerequisite by any means. If you enjoy light historical set-pieces, you'll like this as well I figure. If you can see past the old aspect ratio, the video quality for it's time and on DVD only is excellent, as is the sound, and there are even some ultra-creative shots that I don't remember seeing anywhere else, either in film or TV, ever, and I have an eye on cinematography almost instinctually, I'm almost always on the lookout for innovative shots or lighting (even at the expense of blowing up my suspension of disbelief).

I missed this myself when it was first out until a good year at least after it was cancelled, and I was already somewhat of a Bruce Campbell fan, which says a lot about the lack of promotion that kind of doomed the series. If I had known it even existed during its run I wouldn't have missed an episode for anything. It's a real shame series aren't given time to develop (there was a series on Fox a few years ago that was announced as cancelled before the pilot episode had even finished it's airing!). MASH, Cheers, etc., were huge ratings bombs for several seasons before they got their footing and went out to be these huge iconic series that make imagining TV history difficult without them in the picture. I wonder how many other series that could have become just as iconic were strangled in the crib?

For a nice light, funny, sometimes sexy in an innocent way, with good action sequences, and a very distracting binge-watch through what is shaping up to be a very long winter with COVID-19 infections spiking in Europe and the US, this is just the kind of engaging, but easy to watch, mindless fun that maybe all of us could use a bit more of.

A Hilarious Action Comedy

[jeremycrimsonfox · 8/10 · 15 March 2021]

Jack of All Trades was another syndicated show I was lucky to see (as it aired in a hour-long block alongside Cleopatra 2525). Set in the year 1801, the show has secret agent Jack Stiles, played by Bruce Campbell, sent by President Jefferson to Pulau Pulau, an island in the East Indies, where Napoleon Bonaparte (played by the late Verne Troyer, as he does appear in four episodes) has sent a governor to colonize it. Meeting with Emilia Rothschild, a British spy and inventor played by Angela Dotchin) the pair must stop Napoleon's various plots against the dictator and the corrupt Governor Croque, who is the brother of Napoleon. However, Jack sometimes takes on the guise of The Daring Dragoon, a folk hero to the island, to keep his cover sometimes when he needs to fight.

This series is a good action/comedy. It has some innuendos and metahumor, but some episodes have the two heroes meeting historical figures like Lewis and Clark, and even a fictional descendant of Leonardo Di Caprio. Also, it has a lot of action. It was a shame it was cancelled in the middle of its second season (which could be due to declining ratings, as Xena: Warrior Princess also ended at the same time).

Average

[coles_notes · 5/10 · 3 October 2023]

Created by Eric Morris and produced by Sam Raimi, this 30 minute sitcom follows the titular Jack Stiles, an American secret agent after the conclusion of the revolutionary war who in 1801 is sent to the fictional island of Palau-Palau in the East Indies to oversee American interests. There he meets the British also-secret agent Emilia Rothschild, where together they protect the island and get up to all kinds of shenanigans. If you've seen Bruce Campbell+ Sam Raimi vehicles before you'll be very familiar with the vibe, other than the setting and period it doesn't bring a lot special to the table. Lots of gender based humour and wacky period figures it features guest characters like Blackbeard, Ben Franklin, and Napoleon (played by Verne Troyer). The whole thing is a farce, and unfortunately a somewhat lame one at that. Airing alongside the similarly produced Cleopatra 2525 (which I've yet to check out), Jack of All Trades was cancelled shortly during the middle of its second season. Not too easy to find, if you're looking for a fun, corny Sam Raimi series I would recommend M. A. N. T. I. S. (it's terrible but a riot), and if you're looking for more Bruce Campbell I quite liked the newish Ash vs Evil Dead series. As for Jack of All Trades, you can likely skip.

The opening credits alone make it worth your time.

[PhilR-3 · 22 January 2000]

"Jack of All Trades" is the latest collaboration of cult duo Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi. I watched it today after the awful "Cleopatra 2525," which is packaged with Jack into an hour show. Sure, Jack of All trades was funny. Bruce Campbell rarely disappoints. The musical opening credits were catchy and hilarious, so I was looking forward to the show. It's another sound-effects filled romp into an exagerrated past with witty dialogue and inaccurate facts, like Hercules and Xena have recently become. Sure, maybe the show is flimsy and the sets are cheap, maybe the effects are bad and nothing is remotely similar to reality. But who cares? Good stuff for Campbell fans.

Fox finally did something right!

[Crow1013 · 23 January 2000]

Yesterday, I sat down to watch the series premier of "Jack of all Trades." I was expecting something in the tradition of "Hercules: the Legendary Journeys." I was wrong. Bruce Campbell has never been funnier. And I really enjoyed his boss, Angela Maria Dotchin. This is the first time in like six years since Bruce Campbell had his own series. I can't wait to see where it goes.

Shouldve been longer

[psporavage · 9 April 2003]

yes people will complain about the cheesy dialogue or the predictable plots. but its Bruce Campbell doing what he does best. The shows main fault was the plots were too rushed. It should have been a hour long like Xena and Hercules. Oh well it will always be better than that dismall Cleopatra 2525.

A show worthy of Bruce Campbell's talents!

[JeffG. · 30 January 2000]

Bruce Campbell shines in this action series set in the early 1800's. Bruce plays an American spy named Jack who is assigned to an island to keep Napoleon at bay. Not wanting the U.S. to become a French-speaking country, Jack agrees. Once there, Jack finds himself with a beautiful British woman assigned as his partner. Over the course of his adventures, Jack finds himself having to occasionally assume the role of a swashbuckling local folk hero named the Daring Dragoon.

Bruce Campbell is very entertaining to watch in this show, playing his Jack character as sort of a cross between Zorro and Ash. A must-see for any Bruce fan. The only drawback is that it's only 30 minutes long. So just as things are starting to take off, the show suddenly ends. I guess we can hope that the awful "Cleopatra 2525" gets cancelled and the show gets expanded to an hour.

Cool tv show

[dvdmrp · 11 July 2000]

I watched the first episode on the day it first came on, because I thought that the plot sounded cool. I really liked the episode so I continued to watch the show. It kept on getting better and better. This also was my first time seeing anything with Bruce campbell. I thought that he was really funny in the show so I also tuned in to Adventures of Brisco Country Jr.(also a great show airing on TNT saturday mornings)I have seen some of his movies and now I am a fan. He is probably one of the only good B movies stars. Anyway watch the show, because it is cool and only 30 minutes long. You could do a lot worse with your saturday afternoons. 10/10