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Movie Review - Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Dean Parisot |
| Starring: |
Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, Alec Baldwin, and Richard Jenkins |
| Rated: |
Rated PG-13 (for brief language, some sexual humor and occasional humorous drug references) |
| Length: |
90 minutes |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Tagline: |
See Dick Run |
| Studio: |
Sony Pictures |
| Website: |
Fun with Dick and Jane |
| Release: |
December 21, 2005 |
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PLOT
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Dick (Carrey) and Jane (Leoni) worked hard and always played by the rules. But when Dick's company collapses
and leaves him in a desperate situation, he decides to get back at the man responsible for his and his
fellow employees' hardships. Fun with Dick and Jane indeed ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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What would you do if you had just been promoted to Vice President and then within the course of 24 hours your
company's stock plummeted and you were left holding the proverbial bag?
Dick is faced with that very situation. His company, GlobaDyne? Yeah, it's now GlobaDead. Or GlobaDone.
Pick the lame pun you like best. As panic sets in with the employees, the only place that CEO Alec Baldwin can
be found is hopping aboard his helicopter to get the heck out of Dodge. Or whatever city this is set in. I
can't remember. Nor will I look it up. Anyway, the point is that the employees are left in the lurch.
But Dick remains optimistic. However, as the months tick away with no legitimate job prospects, desperation
understandably sets in. The family loses their electricity, the lawn is repossessed (!!), they downgrade
cars, they must pile their plates at the $2.99 buffet "Michael Moore Style" (i.e. they pile the plates HIGH), and
they bathe in a sprinkler. When he finally reaches the depths of his hopelessness, Dick declares, "We followed the
rules and we got screwed." Having, in his mind, run out of options, Dick decides he must do whatever it takes to
keep food on the table and to prevent eviction.
When "whatever it takes" turns into robbery, well, we don't mind partly because we feel sympathetic to Dick
and Jane, but mostly because their misdeeds deliver increasingly funny results. If only real life crime were
this much fun! Their use of voice manipulators (what in the world is their official name? modulator?) is
particularly hilarious.
Fans of Jim Carrey and Judd Apatow (he wrote the screenplay) won't be disappointed. The laughs are consistent,
and often out loud, and the performances are spot-on for a comedy of this nature. This is yet another fine example
of Jim Carrey doing what he does best, so if you're not a fan of other similar Carrey efforts such as Liar Liar
and Bruce Almighty then this may not be your cup up green tea (with Ginseng root). Alec Baldwin seems to have
found a niche in playing the sleazy boss/CEO. Looks like he knows how to bring his real-life persona to his
characters.
Pay attention for subtle jabs at two-job households (the child speaks with a Spanish accent because he spends
more time with his Spanish nanny than he does with anybody else) and not-so-subtle jabs at Enron-like scandals.
The "thanks to" section at the beginning of the closing credits is especially clever. Just a little social satire
for those of you who like that with your comedy.
Another aspect I like about Fun with Dick and Jane is that I was genuinely interested in the story's resolution.
The laughs are never forsaken for story, but by the time Dick and Jane decide to hatch a plan to foil Baldwin, the
details are intriguing enough to keep your attention engaged. No, it's not Memento, but it's fairly intelligent
for a comedy plotline.
After the movie, I was giving my feedback to the screening rep and a few other moviegoers stopped by to discuss the
film and its relevance in light of current corporate scandals. By the time we finished our conversation I closed with,
"Who'd have thought a Jim Carrey comedy would create so much thoughtful discussion?"
Don't let the "social commentary" aspect scare you; the movie's number 1 priority is to make the audience laugh, and it
certainly succeeds. Crime and robbery has never been so much fun!
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Barry Sonnenfeld (fill in some of his movies) was to direct, but had to quit because of "personal
reasons."
- Cameron Diaz was the original choice to play Jane but was unable to do so because of scheduling
conflicts.
- This is an update of the 1977 film of the same name, starring George Segal and Jane Fonda.
- Téa Leoni was in Flirting with Disaster with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with
Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Téa Leoni drops an "f" bomb, and there are a handful of other profanities, but it's never explicit. There
are a few sexual jokes that will probably fly over the heads of the youngsters. There is no nudity.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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No real surprises. If you enjoyed the trailer than you should enjoy the movie.
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THE GIST
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Fun with Dick and Jane is great for some healthy laughs. It's not a "Christmas movie," but if you're
in the mood for something light and enjoyable over the Christmas holiday then this is an excellent choice.
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