Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

An update of the 1977 comedy, Dick and Jane are living the good life. That is until Dick (Jim Carrey) loses his job shortly after getting a promotion that convinced his wife Jane (Téa Leoni) to quit her job. The money is gone, and the house ends up in foreclosure. Dick decides to turn to a hilarious life of crime to pay the bills with his lovely wife by his side. Then together they decide it's ... See full summary »

Director:

Dean Parisot

Writers:

Judd Apatow (screenplay), Nicholas Stoller (screenplay),

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, Alec Baldwin

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Carrey	...	Dick Harper
Téa Leoni	...	Jane Harper
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack McCallister
Richard Jenkins	...	Frank Bascombe
Angie Harmon	...	Veronica Cleeman
John Michael Higgins	...	Garth
Richard Burgi	...	Joe Cleeman
Carlos Jacott	...	Oz Peterson
Aaron Michael Drozin	...	Billy Harper
Gloria Garayua	...	Blanca
Michelle Arthur	...	Dick's Secretary
Stacey Travis	...	Jack's Receptionist
Timm Sharp	...	Jack's Assistant
David Herman	...	Angry Caller (voice)
Dempsey Pappion	...	Production Assistant

Storyline

The day before Globodyne's stock tanks, a la Enron, and its pension fund evaporates, the corporation's CEO and CFO set up middle manager Dick Harper to be the public face of the disaster. Jobless, and with no savings, pension, or home equity, Dick and his wife Jane sink slowly into poverty. He looks for work (as do all former Globodyne executives); he even tries day labor with the relatives of their Mexican nanny. A foreclosure notice sends Dick and Jane over the edge into a life of blue-collar crime. Then, as things finally look up, the report of an looming indictment pushes Dick and Jane toward a denouement with the real criminals, the white-collar guys.

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Plot Keywords:

ceo | loss of job | husband wife relationship | comeuppance | mercedes benz | 

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Taglines:

This Christmas, one family is living the American Dream a little differently

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief language, some sexual humor and occasional humorous drug references

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [fr] Official site [ru]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fun with Dick & Jane

Filming Locations:

City of Industry, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$31,138 (Chile) (3 March 2006)

Gross:

$340,995 (Chile) (10 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Imagine Entertainment, JC 23 Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The document that McCallister needs to fill out at the bank once he exchanges the bonds is called a "CRM-114 form". "CRM-114" is commonly used by _Stanley Kubrick_ in his films, most notably as the device aboard the bomber in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

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Goofs

While Dick and Jane are robbing the coffee shop, it seems that all the customers "disappear" after they are finished robbing it. However, for a brief moment, all the customers can be seen moving to hide under the tables. So they never leave, they are just under all the tables.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dick Harper: Globodyne is a consolidator of media properties. Globodyne is a consolidator of media properties. Consolidator. Consolidator.
[traffic light turns]
Dick Harper: Oh, no!
Title card: Run, Dick, Run
Dick Harper: Globodyne's a consolidator of media properties and data retrieval with a focus in fiber-optic content provision. It's basically a synergy of Web-based and platform-based UNIX-driven delivery systems. OK, I made that last part up.

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Crazy Credits

The start of the ending credits begins with a special thanks to former Enron CEO Kenneth L. Lay. The credits then proceed to thank other Enron employees and other companies that have bankrupted, such as Tyco.

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Connections

Spoofs Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Insects Are All Around Us"
Written by Money Mark (as Mark Ramos-Nishita)
Performed by Money Mark
Courtesy of Mercury Records Limited
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Could have been funnier and stronger if the screenplay was written better

Jim Carrey has come a long way since his early days on In Living Color. He became a hit actor in the likes of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (a personal childhood favourite), The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. He tried hard for an Oscar nom, but always contended with winning Golden Globes. And for years now, he has basically been bouncing around dramas, comedies, and dramedies. So now, he has tackled a remake (of a comedy no less), and the results as per the last few years, are mixed at best.

Carrey is Dick, an employee at Globodyne (read: Enron) who is promoted just in time to help sail the company into oblivion on television. He tells his wife Jane (Tea Leoni) to leave her job only hours before hand, and upon returning stunning home, realizes that he may be in a bit of trouble. As the months go on, the pair's assets slowly begin to dwindle, and hope for continued survival begins to evaporate. So with nothing left to do, they turn to life of petty crime and hope for the best.

It is not an original concept at all, but Carrey and Leoni do a valiant job keeping this boat floating. While the film does have a few hilarious moments, the rest of it is bogged down by mere snicker-filled sequences or just scenes that are totally unfunny. It's not like these two actors are having any trouble being funny, it's that the material is not funny. Judd Apatow did wonders with The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but he fumbles here pretty hard with his writing partner Nicholas Stoller, who does not have nearly enough credits to his name. A parody on what happened at Enron was inevitable, but this just seems lackluster and barely thought out. Subplots are brought in, but barely resolved, and the key storyline just feels very weak by the end. It's not terrible, it just feels a tad bit incomplete.

The sorry thing about the entire film is the fact that much of it just feels like an extended montage with little payoff. It is only ninety minutes long, so it feels like a lot was trimmed down or cut right out. But the film suffers as a result. If it was longer, it undoubtedly could have had more potential for more funny moments, and as a whole, feel more complete.

While Carrey and Leoni do their best, it's Leoni who gives a stronger performance. Yes, Carrey is right at home with his zany character, and totally overshadows Leoni in every single aspect. But he just lacks that integral element of human comedy here, that made him so famous in the first place. It's unfortunate, and makes me wonder if the old Carrey will ever return, or if we'll have to contend with semi-funny Carrey for the rest of his career. Leoni is much better, and feels more in tune with what she's doing.

Even more unfortunate is the wasted supporting cast does very little. Alec Baldwin as the sleazy CEO Jack McCallister is sparingly unfunny, as is Richard Jenkins as the right hand man Frank Bascombe, who spends most of the movie drunk and not doing anything (besides setting up for the finale). The rest of the cast has little to no screen time, or are simply silly supporting characters that just feel like excess waste in the entire scheme of things.

For all of it's faults, the film is a worth while watch. As said, I did laugh at some of it. A bit of work on the screenplay would have benefited everyone here. Just do not go in expecting a comedy classic with Jim Carrey. If so, you will be sadly disappointed.

6.5/10.