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.

"Fun with Dick and Jane" reflects, in many ways, what's wrong with our society. We watch in disbelief as more and more CEOs are hauled up to jail and how these unscrupulous people leave their once valued employees to fend for themselves, as best they can.

Dan Perisot directs this remake of the 1977 Jane Fonda-George Segal vehicle and brings it up to date. He counts with two actors that are popular to present this new installment in a funny way, Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni in the main roles.

Poor Dick finds out in the worst way the job he held has just disappeared and must face reality. Dick and Jane must deal with their sudden status as they see their electricity cut, their housekeeper deserts them and Dick suffers the indignity of having to compete with other unemployed, former colleagues, for jobs that aren't half as glamorous as the vice-presidency he almost had.

What's a desperate man to do? Well, being a resourceful man, he must do what he has to. Jane and Dick start a path into taking the law into their own hands.

In a way, Mr. Carrey, one of the producers, mixes a serious problem with his kind of comedy. Jim Carrey is one of the best comedians working in movies today, but he also has an enormous talent for doing some serious dramatic work, as he has already proved. He is a dynamo in the film and turns the situation Dick is facing into fun, in his own way.

Tea Leoni, is equally suited to play Jane, the travel agent who suddenly sees all those comforts she was used to, disappear, and must adapt to her new circumstances. Ms. Leoni and Mr. Carrey do some funny things together, making the film look much better than what could have been. The supporting players, mainly Alec Baldwin and Richard Jenkins make good contributions to the film.

"Fun with Dick and Jane" is a typical example of those holiday themed films the studios love to unload at the end of the year.

Have we lost our humor in America? This is a very funny movie. In many ways it's a dark comedy with a happy ending. But it moves quickly, is a parody on timely issues and has some of the best physical acting you'll ever see.

Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni work very well together. And while the 1977 original had two of my favorite people (whacko politics aside for Jane Fonda because she was a hoot in Barbarella), I think this version was more light hearted and more up to date.

I have a strange feeling that younger people didn't understand the concept, 20-30's thought it implausible for them and people above were frightened by its premise.

7 out of 10 for an entertaining time.

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.