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71 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
See Dick and Jane, December 9, 2005
Meet Dick Harper (Jim Carrey). He's an employee of a mega corporation on his way up the corporate ladder.
Meet Jane Harper (Tea Leoni). She works at a travel agency to support their middle class lifestyle.
Together, the Harpers have a new house in the suburbs, a son named Billy, a dog named Spot (of course), and a servant named Blanca.
In 2000, Dick's big promotion finally comes. He's now the VP of Communications for his company. He encourages Jane to quit her job to stay home with Billy, an idea she loves.
On his first day in his new position, he goes on a cable outlet to counter the bad news in the media about his company. While he announces to the world that everything is fine, the FCC announces a full-scale investigation and stock prices plummets.
Dick's initial reaction is to not worry. After all, they've got savings. Certainly he can get a new job in a couple months. But as the months go by, nothing happens. All of Dick's former co-workers are also trying to get the limited number of jobs in the area. Dick's desperate attempts to get any kind of job only lead to failure. Finally, out of desperation, Dick and Jane turn to crime. But when they have a chance to get revenge on Dick's former boss (Alec Baldwin), can they pull it off?
I was interested in seeing this movie for one reason and one reason alone - they filmed a scene about half a mile from my house. I'm not a Jim Carrey fan, so I was expecting to hate the movie. Plus I didn't like the sounds of the plot. When I got a chance to attend a test screening the end of October, I jumped. I figured this was a way to see the movie without wasting money. I enjoyed every minute of it.
In spite of how the plot sounds, this really is a comedy. Maybe because I don't think that way, I've never been able to understand how a black comedy works. All I know is, this one does. The humor seems to come from the absurd. What is happening on the screen is so absurd it really is funny. The scene shown in the trailer where they are asking if the muffins are low fat before taking them is a perfect example. Even while the comedy is coming from absurdity, it is grounded in reality. The likelihood of these events happening to these people is slim to none, but you believe it could happen when watching the movie.
Of course, being a Jim Carrey movie, there is physical comedy as well. The scene of him racing other applicants to a job interview comes to mind. He does an amazing job in one scene being a puppet with invisible strings.
A big thing that helps the movie is the characters. They truly are likable. Even when they start breaking the law, you can't help but root for them to win. Mr. Carrey and Ms. Leoni deserve lots of credit for bring these characters to life with such skill.
Also, as I've hinted at before, the story holds together well. The writers take time making the situations believable. Because of that, the story takes time getting where we know the movie is going, but you truly need that time to understand why Dick and Jane turn to a life of crime.
Not that the movie drags at all. It starts out strong and keeps moving from one funny situation to another until the ending, which I absolutely loved.
I have recently found out this movie is a remake of a 1977 movie with the same title and plot starring George Segal and Jane Fonda in the title rolls. Since I haven't seen that movie, I can't compare the two. What I can tell you is this movie seemed fresh and funny to me.
Since what I saw was a test screening, things can change. Frankly, I don't see how they can make the movie any better. Based on what I saw, this is a winner and I will certainly pay money to see it again.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun movie, March 21, 2006
I hadn't seen Jim Carrey in a movie since Liar Liar. And while that was one of my favorites, Fun with Dick and Jane was enjoyable the whole way through. I give Jim the credit. I can't go with 5 stars, because I believe that the same movie without Jim Carrey, would have missed the mark a bit. Jim was in his customary rare form, so the result is that it was a good movie that did make me laugh more than once. I think you'll like it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Mixed Bag: Some Laughs from Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni But the Film's Script Is So Uneven, December 25, 2005
Based on the 1977 comedy starring George Segal and Jane Fonda, newer version of `Fun with Dick and Jane' is updated for the 21st century, featuring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. The film is produced by Brian Grazer (which may tell you much about the content of the film) and Carrey is also one of the producers. The director is Dean Parisot, whose CV includes hilarious `Galaxy Quest' and muddled `Home Fries.'
My impression about Jim Carrey's `Fun with Dick and Jane' exactly is right between these two - `hilarious' and `muddled.' I mean, sometimes the film is funny, but the script looks muddled from the beginning to the end. The opening of the film introduces us to the married couple Dick and Jane, Dick has been recently promoted to VP of one big company `Globadyne' while Jane has been working as travel agent. But after the promotion of his husband, she thinks she can devote more time to their only son.
But when they think their life is perfect, Dick's company goes bankrupt, and while the CEO (Alec Baldwin) still can afford to live a comfortable life, the employees including Dick are left behind without money. Now being out of job, Dick and Jane try to make money while keeping appearance. After many slapstick gags about how they manage to make ends meet, the couple decide on the revenge plan, to steal money from the CEO himself.
[SOCAIL SATIRE AND SLAPSTICKS] One surprise is the chemistry between Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni, which is credible and works better than the various silly jokes. Even when they are desperate to commit robbery, they manage to be likable, and that is no easy feat. It is true that Jim Carrey repeats his schtick works again, but it is also true that he is careful not to rely too much on his usual mugging face and overacting.
However, the new `Fun with Dick and Jane' sometimes looks muddled. Dick and Jane do heists, disguised as pop culture icons like The Blues Brothers and Sonny and Cher (and Jim playing the role of Cher ... oh dear), and perhaps these sight gags should be left in the cutting room. More regrettable is the lack of edge when the film deals with the social satire, whose target includes such companies as Enron (the film is set in 2000). Alec Baldwin's CEO is nothing but caricature (and he reminds us of one US president when he goes hunting ... you can guess who it is easily), but the satire is too obvious. Dean Parisot, it seems, does not know how to put things together when he has good and reliable actors like Baldwin and Richard Jenkins beside Jim Carrey's character who is getting crazier and crazier while he was down on his luck.
The film is really a mixed bag. It contains two likable characters, some funny moments, a disappointing conclusion, and no insightful comments on the society that should be the target of the film. But I liked the title roles, Dick and Jane, to whom my three stars go.
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