Jim Carrey has made many very successful movies, most of which have featured his comic talents. I have seen and enjoyed many of his movies, though I have felt like he went overboard in a few of them. Even though I haven’t loved all of his movies, I will still see something he is in if it looks interesting and entertaining to me. That is why I decided to see Fun With Dick and Jane.

Dick and Jane Harper had a good life with their son Billie and dog Spot. They both worked hard to support their lifestyle which caused them to schedule their sex life several days in advance. One day Jack McCallister called Dick up to his office and gave him a promotion. Dick and Jane were thrilled and Dick even encouraged Jane to quit her job. Just when things were great for them, everything fell apart. The company went out of business, putting everyone out of work, and Jack took off with millions. Dick was optimistic about finding a new job for a while, but he had no luck. As the bills piled up, he and Jane did everything they could to survive and then Dick got the idea of turning to crime. Jane ended up involved in that as well and they were successful enough that their troubles seemed to finally be over.

When I first heard about Fun With Dick and Jane, I had no idea that it was a remake of a movie from 1977. I still haven’t seen the original version, so I have no idea how much might have been changed for the new version. From the little bit I have read about the original, the basic plot of a married couple turning to crime after they ended up unemployed, seems to be the same. I’m guessing that changes were made to update the plot. When remakes are done, things are always changed. Some of the newer movies have managed to stay fairly close to the original versions of the movies while others have so many changes they aren’t even recognizable as the same story anymore. Other than things done to update the movie for a more modern time setting, I don’t know what might have been changed.

When I saw the previews for Fun With Dick and Jane, I thought it looked like it would be a funny movie. Unfortunately for the last several comedies I’ve seen, the funniest parts have been shown in the trailers. I know that the purpose of trailers is to get people interested in seeing a movie so I do understand the inclusion of at least some of the funny scenes in them. It just tends to make the movie a bit disappointing for me when the funniest things are in the trailer. I was very pleasantly surprised when that wasn’t the case for this movie. There were several funny moments that I never saw in any of the previews. Funny things happened throughout the movie, though I do think that the funniest scenes were from some of the things that Dick and Jane did to try to make ends meet after everything fell apart for them. When they decided to rob businesses and people, Dick and Jane got some unique costumes to use as disguises that made me laugh. The theater was very crowded when I saw the movie and everyone was laughing a lot. I laughed many time throughout the movie. There was a scene involving a disguise that went on a little longer than it really had to and that could annoy some people. There were a few serious moments in the movie, but it was a fun, light-hearted movie overall. I really enjoyed this movie and do think it was one of the funniest movies of 2004. One of the writers, Judd Apatow, was a writer for The 40 Year Old Virgin.

Some people may feel like the movie glamorized crime. Robbing different businesses finally turned things around for Dick and Jane and allowed them to get their life back on track. They didn’t commit it lightly and it wasn’t their first choice for dealing with their situation. They did everything they could think of to pay their bills but it just wasn’t enough. Dick got the idea and while Jane didn’t believe he would go through with it, she did end up helping. From that point on, they worked together to plan their future jobs. They never did anything that hurt any of the people around. Dick and Jane weren’t typical criminals and remained likeable characters. Some viewers may not care for the fact that they broke the law many times and got away with it. That aspect of the movie didn’t bother me since I saw it as just a very funny, entertaining movie. Fun With Dick and Jane briefly touched on some serious issues, but the movie overall wasn’t serious at all. Anyone in the mood for a serious movie should pick something else to see.

I don’t remember hearing it mentioned during the movie how long Dick and Jane were supposed to have been together. Their only child Billie wasn’t a baby or toddler, but he didn’t look that old to me either. I’m guessing he was around seven or eight, and I figured that Dick and Jane were married at least a little while before he was born. They loved each other and were affectionate, though it seemed like at least some of the passion was gone from the relationship. At one point fairly early in the movie they seemed to be about to make love when they stopped kissing to discuss having sex in several days over the weekend. Later in the movie, the danger related to a job they had just pulled seemed to excite them into making out in their car. After that they were shown kissing more often. There was a sexual discussion and a few sexual situations included without there being an actual sex scene in the movie. Both of the characters showed a little bit of skin at least once. There was no nudity in the movie. There was some swearing used throughout the movie, including one version of the word that rhymes with luck.

Dick and Jane were a typical two income family that had a nice life. They both worked hard and were excited when Dick got the promotion. Things didn’t go as well as they had planned and both were soon out of work. Dick seemed to be more positive about the situation, saying he would find a new job in no time and they would be fine until then. The first day he was home alone he was very bored and ended up doing some silly things. The longer he was out of the work, the less optimistic he was about the situation and finding a new job. He did have a minor break down that was a turning point for him. Jane had only quit her job because Dick talked her into it. She managed to keep from panicking when Dick lost his job but she was concerned about what they would do. Dick and Jane had many ordinary problems they were trying to deal with after Dick lost his job. The stress they were under did take a toll. I really liked Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni in these parts. They had chemistry together and were believable as a married couple. They both fit the characters and I don’t think other casting would have worked as well. Carrey has been known to go somewhat overboard in some of his previous movies. I don’t think he did that in this one at all. I liked Leoni’s character in this movie much more than the character she played in Spanglish. Jane was just so much more likeable even though she did turn to crime. Dick and Jane weren’t typical movie heros since they did break the law, but that worked for the movie.

Jack McCallister ran the company that Dick worked for. Jack was responsible for the promotion Dick got, as well as the mess he ended up in shortly after. Jack managed to get away from the mess with the company with millions while the employees that had worked there for years were left with nothing. He had no remorse about the people he left to take the blame. He was only concerned with the money. Alec Baldwin was wonderful in the small part. He didn’t have many scenes since Jack wasn’t in as much of the movie as Dick or Jane, but Jack was still an important character. Baldwin gave a very good performance, complete with an accent. Frank was a high ranking official with the company that had worked closely with Jack. Frank ended up taking a lot of blame. Richard Jenkins was fine in the part. Frank was so different from the last movie I saw Jenkins in, North Country.

Billie was around in several scenes, though he wasn’t ever developed that much. Really all that was known about him was that he could speak fluent Spanish thanks to the housekeeper Blanca. He was never annoying. Blanca was very fond of Billie and willing to stay at the job and be paid in appliances. A few men that had worked with Dick along with some neighbors were briefly shown in a few scenes. Garth, one of the former co-workers, was probably shown the most. Those characters were very flat and one dimensional. That didn’t bother me since those characters were never intended to be the main focus. The actors in the smaller parts were fine as well.

Main Cast

Alec Baldwin - Jack McCallister
Jim Carrey - Dick Harper
Richard Jenkins - Frank
Tea Leoni - Jane Harper

Dean Parisot - Director

Fun With Dick and Jane was very funny, entertaining movie. It is worth seeing if you are in the mood for a good comedy. Fans of Jim Carey, Tea Leoni, or Alec Baldwin may enjoy this one.

Related Reviews
Malice ~ The Cat in the Hat ~ Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events ~ Spanglish ~


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older