Fun with Dick and Jane (DVD, 2006)

A not-so-ordinary family finds a new way of paying the bills in this comedy. Dick Harper (Jim Carrey) and his wife, Jane (T�a Leoni), would seem to have it made -- Dick has a high-paying job, they live in an expensive house in the suburbs, they have two luxury cars in the driveway, and a housekeeper, Blanca (Gloria Garayua), to help look after their son, Billy. But Dick and Jane's fairy-tale life crashes head-on into reality when the firm Dick works for turns out to have been using unscrupulous accounting methods to disguise the fact they've been losing money hand over fist, and Dick has been made the fall guy for some of their dirty dealings. Suddenly flat broke, Dick and Jane must find a new way to support their lavish lifestyle, and in time they discover just the thing -- crime. A remake of Ted Kotcheff's 1977 hit (which helped re-launch Jane Fonda's screen career), Fun With Dick and Jane also stars Alec Baldwin, John Michael Higgins, and Angie Harmon. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Running Time: 90 mins
Complete Cast:
Jim Carrey - Dick Harper
Alec Baldwin - Jack McCallister
Carlos Jacott - Oz Peterson
Aaron Michael Drozin - Billy Harper
Jeff Garlin
Angie Harmon - Veronica Cleeman
T�a Leoni - Jane Harper
Richard Jenkins - Frank Bascombe
Richard Burgi - Joe
Gloria Garayua - Blanca
John Michael Higgins - Garth

Director(s):Dean Parisot
MPAA Rating: PG13(Profanity, Adult Situations, Adult Humor)
Writer(s):Nicholas Stoller, Judd Apatow
Producer(s):Brian Grazer, Jim Carrey
Technical Details:
Language:Eng/Fre
Studio:Sony Pictures
Genre:
Comedy

After all the big blockbuster films which have come out recently, I was relieved to finally go into a movie with no expectations. Fortunately, my mother, sister and I all found Fun with Dick and Jane delightfully funny and creative. As the opening credits roll, some short phrases flash across the screen… “Meet Dick”, “See Dick Run,” and the like to tie the film in with the simple “Dick, Jane, and Spot” stories used to teach children to read. In this story, Dick (Jim Carrey) and Jane (Tea Leoni) live in stereotypical suburbia. Dick gets a raise and promotion at work, and Jane quits her job. Unfortunately, all this occurs only hours before Dick’s company, Globodyne, goes up in flames because of corruption. After humorous attempts to find work, Jane and Dick decide to turn to a life of crime in order to keep their house and possessions.
What I Liked
I’m very pleased with the Carey/Leoni pairing here. Jim Carrey has honestly driven me crazy in some of his past works, but I think his acting has matured in the past couple of years. He’s very funny here but fortunately this film does not turn into “The Jim Carrey Show.” I was very impressed with Leoni as Jane. I’m pretty sure I’ve not ever found her particularly funny before, but in this film I thought she was just as funny as Jim. I also really enjoyed Gloria Garayua as the couple’s nanny, who allows the struggling Dick and Jane to pay her with appliances at one point.

This film made my family laugh out loud at least ten times. I’m pleased to say that the funny parts are NOT all in the trailer for once, because the actual film is much more amusing than I expected. Lots of laughs come from Dick and Jane’s bumbling attempts to become criminals. Carrey gets to do some very funny physical comedy, which is one of his strongest suits. I particularly loved a scene where he is attempting to hold up a gas station and gets his water gun stuck in his sweater pocket. The couple’s various costumes are also hilarious. At one point Jim holds up a car dealership dressed as Cher.

What I Didn’t Like
I don’t have much to complain about here. The film loses a bit of momentum about three quarters of the way in, when the couple is planning a particularly complex robbery. At this point I felt echos of “Ocean’s Eleven” as the plot is dramatically described. This is the only time I looked at my watch. Fortunately, Dick and Jane get the flow back pretty quickly and the last half hour is pretty hilarious.

Overall…
Fun with Dick and Jane is…fun! I think Carey and Leoni really hit a stride and worked well together, and the result is a very funny film. With all the big blockbusters released for this holiday season, this film holds its own and is one of my favorite films of the year.

Fun with Dick and Jane was a dissapointment to us.
Jim Carey did a great job. His is a very talented actor.
The problem for us was the story line. Dick and Jane turn to a life of crime to survive when Dick's new job as a VP lasted less then one day when the company went belly up.

The actors did a great job. The story line was not one that children need to be exposed to.

Dick and Jane were nice people who were put into an impossible situation on turned to a life of crime. This is not the message we need our children to see. And for this reason, this is not a family film.

The actors did an excellent job. The film even with it's happy ending is not one children need to be exposed to.

Ironically we picked up this DVD because our teenage son felt it would be a funny movie to watch. He was right... the movie is funny. Yet it left me feeling cold inside because we sat there laughing at people doing bad things.

Funny movie. Ok for adults, but not recommended for children.

It does not teach good family values. It teaches the watcher to do whatever it takes to survive... no matter if it is legal or not. It shows how one criminal way of thinking and out smart another person who is doing wrong... but two wrongs will never make a right.

If you do not care about morals and values.. you will love the film if you are a fan of Jim Carey and comedy.

The acting was wonderful. The movie was below average. Too bad, with that much talent on the screen.

The movie is about an upper working class family with the man losing his job the same day his wife quits her job at her husbands suggestion when he got his promotion.
The movie is about a Corperate CEO funneling funds away from the company, dumping his stock and trying to walk away with 400 million dollars.
The movie watches a number of people turning to a life of crime trying to survive after the corporation fails.
The movie is funny... just does not have the best values.

May God Bless...

I've not had the opportunity to see the original "Fun with Dick and Jane," but plan to. Thus, I cannot make any comparisons with the original.

However, the story line is solid and smooth.

Jim Carrey does not employ his usual goofiness in this movie, although there is some physical humor.

Alec Baldwin portrays his character well; a seemingly laid-back %#$*! CEO, who is devoid of any humane feelings. Even the viewer would love to beat the snot out of him.

Perhaps I enjoyed it most immensely because it portrayed the way business is conducted today... heartless, without conscience, with no morals and no sense of ethics. It adequately demonstrates the despair and anger of the hard-working, dedicated employee who takes on the majority of the loss, while the CEO goes free.

But from that, it evolves into something outrageous and uplifting. We see a faithful and loving wife (Who has a nicely warped sense of humor) showing support for her husband. We see the husband who struggles with his lack of self-worth. And then we see them rise, like a phoenix from the ashes, to a life of hilarious crime. From that life of crime, they then evolve. They implement an elaborate and ingenious plan in which to exact their revenge.

The entire movie is a merry romp, and will have the viewer cheering at the end.

The newer version of 2005 to me was a disappointment. I much prefer the older original version of 1977. Jim, carey is a fine actor and a great comedian but i just do not think this was a good part for him. This newer version left a lot to be desired.

In the original version of 1977
Manager Dick Harper and his attractive young wife Jane are used to a comfortable lifestyle. They just build a swimming-pool when Dick is fired very unexpectedly - leaving him with $70,000 debt on the house. They try to hide this from the neighbors and just cut down their expenses, but soon it's obvious: living from unemployment bonus drives them crazy, it's uncertain if they can keep the house. Dick doesn't see another way out than robbing drug stores - but this takes more skill than expected! Only as a team Dick and Jane can succeed. When the executive engineer Dick Harper (George Segal) is unexpectedly fired by the president Charlie Blanchard (Ed McMahon) of the Taft Aerospace, company where he works, his wife Jane Harper (Jane Fonda) and him get completely broken, full of debts including the mortgage of their house and without means to support their lifestyle. Dick unsuccessfully tries to find a new position, while Jane looks for a job and cuts their costs to the minimum. While using the insufficient unemployment paycheck of the social security to survive, they contract a loan in a bank. There is a heist in the bank and Jane accidentally steals some money from the thieves, and the couple decides to robber to survive and maintain their social status.