Braqueurs amateurs

Dick and Jane is a comedy I didn't expect to do very well. I wasn't sold by the trailers, and another remake is something the world can live happily without. Dick and Jane is an underrated hit though, and Carrey and Leoni are remarkably not as annoying as they sometimes can be. Carrey is, thankfully, as hyperbolic as the character of Dick will let him be and Jane isn't as complicated a role for Leoni to fall on. The movie excellently thanks corporations for its inspiration in the final credits.

Dick has a happy, healthy upper-middle class family. A promotion to the upper echelon believes him to convince his wife Jane to quit her job and get that hot tub they always wanted. A sudden change in corporate direction however, changes their future as they must resort to drastic measures when the bills aren't getting paid.

I didn't find myself laughing as much as I wanted to for a movie. In a year dominated by comedy-remake stinkers like the Honeymooners and Bewitched, Dick and Jane is one of the better movies of the year to watch. If you want a good movie to watch and understand a little bit of corporate history, I recommend Dick and Jane for you.

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.

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.

Jim Carrey is hard to beat in a role like this. He looks like the all American yuppie - tall, clean shaven, well dressed, and in control of his life - and his comedic delivery has been refined into a polished riff. All is believable when he lets loose because you know this is a guy who has a great sense of humor and he can get you to laugh until you lose your breath without grossing you out or making you groan at absurd silliness. Even while prancing or jabbing the air or contorting his face, Carrey is - hands down - the sexiest comedian on screen today. Tea Leoni is a good match for him because she too can be sexy while doing pratfalls or ending up with mud on her face. This is a dream coupling that should be repeated in more light comedies the way William Powell & Myrna Loy were paired in The Thin Man series.

I found this remake head and shoulders above the original because it had far more energy and there was more 'sympatico' in the match of personalities of Dick & Jane. The new version also has a much more important message about corporate shenanigans and its grave impact on modern society. The film moves at a quick pace and was too short for me, but that's only because I didn't want to leave these characters. They became that fun couple you always invite to your get-togethers because they are the life of every party.

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.