Fun With Dick and Jane Review

"Fun With Dick and Jane" reviews

Movie

Fun With Dick and Jane

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-07-03 22:04:33

Rating

2/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

A few flashes of Jim Carrey's wacky nature shines through, but this cynical look at how the American family can only achieve their dreams through crime is a bit more of a political statement rather than comedic entertainment.

Story

History does seem to repeat itself, and so, the story of a successful couple striving for the American Dream through alternative means is just as relevant as the 1977 comedy starring George Segal and Jane Fonda. In this updated remake, Dick (Jim Carrey) and Jane (Tea Leoni) seem to have everything: good jobs, a big house, a Mexican housekeeper named Blanca, and a son who speaks Spanish because he spends so much time with her. When Dick is promoted, he is set up to take a fall for a big corporation, Globodyne, in an Enron-like scandal concocted by corrupt CEO Jack McCallister (Alec Baldwin) and his henchman Frank (Richard Jenkins). When the family falls on hard times--their lawn gets repossessed and they have to sell their prized plasma TV--they turn into modern-day Robin Hoods.

Acting

Few actresses can hold their own opposite a powerful comic like Carrey, and Leoni definitely matches him--managing to snag a few laughs of her own. But, ultimately, Carrey's slapstick humor seems out of place in a dark story where the moral is that crime does pay. A few Carrey-isms sneak through, like when he's alone mugging in the elevator, or when he has a melt-down at the executive club. But, the best scenes are when the couple goes on their robbing rampage--dressed as Sonny (Leoni) and Cher (Carrey) at a car dealership, asking for non-fat muffins when holding up a coffee shop and stealing their neighbor's voice-controlled Mercedes for a jewelry heist. Their life of crime also improves their sex life, leading to the film's funniest moments.

Direction

Dean Parisot, the mastermind behind the hysterical sleeper hit Galaxy Quest, should have turned this update into more than a predictable paint-by-number affair. Some of the jokes wear thin pretty quickly, but are still beaten like a dead horse. Ultimately, the film becomes a political commentary, with TV clips of George Bush talking about prosperity in the country and a Special Thanks scroll in the end credits which includes the names of executives and companies who have been caught in scandals. For anyone who's lost their jobs in the last year, Fun With Dick and Jane may be more of a painful reality check than a fun night out at the movies.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 stars.

Movie

FUN WITH DICK AND JANE

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-02-02 17:01:56

Provider

Review

Not so long ago Jim Carrey had the world in stitches. The rubber faced actor could draw audiences to the cinema whether delivering slapstick surrealism or more serious roles in the Truman Show and Eternal Spotlight. However, as with all good things, there must be a downside.

Carrey stars as Dick, a husband who has everything; a high paid job, a big house and a wife to match. But after some 'creative accountancy' methods are rumbled, the company he works for goes bust. Dick cops much of the blame and his life goes into financial freefall. Faced with finding a new way to support their lavish lifestyle after losing everything from the lawn to their plasma TV, he and wife Jane (Tea Leoni) turn to crime, albeit in a nice, polite middle-class way.

There are a few flashes of the Carrey we know and love, but nothing new from him. Leoni, though, steals money from the rich and the show from the megastar. She matches him gag for gag, creates her own laughs, and more than holds her own. That said, there aren't too many funny moments, the best being the effect their illegal antics has on their sex lives.

The original 1977 hit stared George Segal and Jane Fonda, and despite the story being easily adapted into a modern day format, the remake leaves you wondering why they bothered.