Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

When an affluent couple lose all their money following a series of blunders, they turn to a life of crime to make ends meet.

Director:

Dean Parisot

Writers:

Judd Apatow (screenplay), Nicholas Stoller (screenplay)

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, Alec Baldwin

7 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:

head shop | ceo | suburb | animal abuse | heist | 

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Taglines:

Giving Big Businesses a Run For Their Money!

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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 [France] Official site [Russia]

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 USA:

$21,530,160, 25 December 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$110,332,737, 26 February 2006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$202,026,112, 22 October 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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Cameron Diaz was scheduled to star, the Coen Brothers helped rewrite the script.

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Goofs

It has been illegal in the United States to issue municipal or corporate bearer bonds since 1982. As the movie opens in 2000, McCallister would not be able to convert his company's assets into bearer bonds.

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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, who ripped off their employees pensions. The credits then proceed to thank other Enron employees and other companies that have bankrupted, such as Tyco and Worldcom.

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Connections

References Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

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Soundtracks

I Believe I Can Fly
Written by R. Kelly
Performed by Frank Vardaros (as Frankie V)
Courtesy of VEE Records

User Reviews

As much fun as Carrey and Leoni can make it.

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.