Fun With Dick And Jane Movie Review

Cast: Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, Alec Baldwin, Richard Jenkins, Angie Harmon, John Michael Higgins, Richard Burgi
Director: Dean Parisot
Screenplay: Judd Apatow & Nicholas Stoller
Genre: Comedy
Rated: M infrequent coarse language
Running Time: 91 Minutes

See Dick Run.

Synopsis:
Dick Harper's (Jim Carrey) years of hard work finally pays off when he is promoted to vice president at Globodyne, a worldwide leader in the consolidation of media properties. But after exactly one day in his new job, Globodyne is destroyed by an Enron-like calamity - and he is left holding the bag.

Dick's sudden reversal of fortune has left him little time to set money aside for a rainy day. After playing by the rules and working single-mindedly to build a comfortable life for his family, Dick is utterly unprepared to give up the American dream. Taking a lesson from his corrupt employer, however, Dick hits on a brilliant idea: If stealing was good enough for his boss, then it's good enough for him.

Using his newfound skills, Dick and his wife Jane (Téa Leoni) exact hilarious revenge and teach big business a lesson.

My Verdict:
A re-make of the 1977 film of the same name which starred Jane Fonda and George Segal, this updated version of 'Fun With Dick And Jane' stars Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni as Dick and Jane Harper who seemingly have it all, including Dick's recent promotion as Vice President of communication at Globodyne. Jane quits her job to spend more time with their son on the same day that Globodyne collapses and Dick loses his job. Their life as they know it is about to change. And how.

Time passes, and with no employment in sight, the Harpers soon face severe financial hardship, re-possessions including their front lawn are a frequent occurrence and soon their electricity is disconnected. Desperate after years of striving, the Harpers decide on revenge on the bosses of Globodyne, the snarly, corrupt Jack McCallister (Alec Baldwin) and the alcoholic Frank Bascombe (Richard Jenkins), who eventually becomes their ally.

'Fun With Dick And Jane' continues with a series of exploits that Dick and Jane use to try to recover the life they used to live including various forms of robbery where they use a variety of costumes to disguise themselves, including a Sonny & Cher look-a-like hold-up.

Often a vehicle for Jim Carrey to showcase his rubber-faced comedic talent, this is also an opportunity for Téa Leoni to display hers, although to a lesser degree, and sometimes it works with some obvious improvisations being welcome. For the fans that like a comedic Jim Carrey then this is pretty much his usual style and won't disappoint.

With a quick, mild finale that spoils the preceding fun and games, 'Fun With Dick And Jane' is very average comedy fare that is too often unbelievable given the time frame but that's not enough to sink this ship. Dick and Jane are relatively fun but only just.

Rating : **½

Christina Bruce