Las locuras de Dick y Jane

Dick and Jane (Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni) were the very couple most people think about when they think "American." They were white, working, married with one kid, a dog, a BMW, and a house in the suburbs. Even their names were all-American. All they were missing was a picket fence. Their cookie cutter world came crashing down around them when Jane quit her job and Dick's company, Globodyne, went belly up. They were reduced to selling all of their worldly possessions, they even had to pay their child's nanny in small appliances.

When the bank came after their house, they drew a line in the sand. They would liquidate no more. It was time to get criminal.

"Fun with Dick and Jane" was plenty funny. I never knew the word "indicted" could be so hilarious. I suppose that's what happens when a failing company slaps a VP label on a guy and puts him in front of a television audience to field questions about a bogus earnings report. Jim Carrey was gold and Tea Leoni held her own. It was definitely fun with Dick and Jane.

This is the story of Dick, an ambitious marketing executive which is promoted to the top just on the day his corporation implodes due to some embezzlement scheme. The first 15 minutes (Dick's ascent) are really very, very funny - that's Jim Carrey at his best.

The movie's best part is when you see Dick and his wife falling all the way to level where survival is really a struggle - this is actually very moving. Their ensuing blotched criminal career is on the other hand not so funny as you might expect -- you have the feeling that this is a very good serious movie trying to be funny just to meet the public's expectations.

I have never seen the original FUN WITH DICK AND JANE (with George Segal and Jane Fonda) so I can't do many comparisons with this remake. However I saw it since Jim Carrey always had been one of my favourite actors of all time (both in comedy and drama) and I was also shocked at the score of 6,1 since I had a fine time watching it.

Dick Harper (Jim Carrey) and his wife Jane (Tea Leoni) are married, with a child and they seem to have a perfect life. However, after a series of scams they lose their own jobs, their lives change drastically. At first they are in crisis and desperate in their search for new jobs. But after a while they discover that stealing things from the richer ones is kinda funny and they turn into a life of crime without ever being captured.

Having never seen the original I can't understand why many people are negative towards this movie. Perhaps is because this remake at times is a bit heavy handed (and I can understand that) but I am sure that also the original was a bit depressing especially when Dick and Jane lost their jobs. The leads (Carrey and Leoni) are in top form and they have lots of chemistry together. Also Alec Baldwin is very hilarious at times in his supporting role.

However what I should say more? Just turn off your brain and enjoy this comedy for what it is even if you, like me, never saw the 1977 original.

In previews and early reviews this movie was called "one of the funniest movies ever" and I was eager to see it. But after a while it began to get called "the worst Jim Carrey movie ever". I still thought I should see it, being a big Jim Carrey fan, plus I haven't always agreed with the critics. After seeing it I can't say it's the funniest movie ever, but it definitely isn't the worst.

I have not seen the original version, but I'm sure there are some modern plot twists and of course original jokes. There are plenty of gags and funny situations that kept me entertained throughout and some really good ones that made me laugh hysterically. Many comedies are very silly which makes them so funny, but people have said that this movie is just silly and not funny at all, I can't agree. While there are some small parts that are just silly, the rest are not.

Acting wise it is quite good. Jim Carrey does his trademark craziness well in this one. The rest of the cast do well too.

Overall it's a funny, entertaining movie. If you feel like a light comedy with some good laughs, ignore the harsh critics and go and see it.

I think the reason why this film wasn't so well-received was because of its serious theme as people expected it to be an out-and-out comedy. However, I think it touches on some very relevant issues, especially today when the economy is at a recession where people are losing their jobs, their houses and slowly everything they own. But coming, back to the comedy element, there's plenty of that and a lot to laugh about so I still don't understand all the negativity towards this fun movie. For me the funniest sequence was the swollen mouth sequence. Carrey and Leoni are awesome together. They make a great comedic pair on screen. Richard Jenkins is terrific too and Alec Baldwin isn't bad either. I haven't watched the original version but I saw an interview of Jim Carrey where he mentions that the movie is more relevant today than it was in 1977. I couldn't agree more.