Fun with Dick and Jane (DVD, 2006)

After all the big blockbuster films which have come out recently, I was relieved to finally go into a movie with no expectations. Fortunately, my mother, sister and I all found Fun with Dick and Jane delightfully funny and creative. As the opening credits roll, some short phrases flash across the screen… “Meet Dick”, “See Dick Run,” and the like to tie the film in with the simple “Dick, Jane, and Spot” stories used to teach children to read. In this story, Dick (Jim Carrey) and Jane (Tea Leoni) live in stereotypical suburbia. Dick gets a raise and promotion at work, and Jane quits her job. Unfortunately, all this occurs only hours before Dick’s company, Globodyne, goes up in flames because of corruption. After humorous attempts to find work, Jane and Dick decide to turn to a life of crime in order to keep their house and possessions.
What I Liked
I’m very pleased with the Carey/Leoni pairing here. Jim Carrey has honestly driven me crazy in some of his past works, but I think his acting has matured in the past couple of years. He’s very funny here but fortunately this film does not turn into “The Jim Carrey Show.” I was very impressed with Leoni as Jane. I’m pretty sure I’ve not ever found her particularly funny before, but in this film I thought she was just as funny as Jim. I also really enjoyed Gloria Garayua as the couple’s nanny, who allows the struggling Dick and Jane to pay her with appliances at one point.

This film made my family laugh out loud at least ten times. I’m pleased to say that the funny parts are NOT all in the trailer for once, because the actual film is much more amusing than I expected. Lots of laughs come from Dick and Jane’s bumbling attempts to become criminals. Carrey gets to do some very funny physical comedy, which is one of his strongest suits. I particularly loved a scene where he is attempting to hold up a gas station and gets his water gun stuck in his sweater pocket. The couple’s various costumes are also hilarious. At one point Jim holds up a car dealership dressed as Cher.

What I Didn’t Like
I don’t have much to complain about here. The film loses a bit of momentum about three quarters of the way in, when the couple is planning a particularly complex robbery. At this point I felt echos of “Ocean’s Eleven” as the plot is dramatically described. This is the only time I looked at my watch. Fortunately, Dick and Jane get the flow back pretty quickly and the last half hour is pretty hilarious.

Overall…
Fun with Dick and Jane is…fun! I think Carey and Leoni really hit a stride and worked well together, and the result is a very funny film. With all the big blockbusters released for this holiday season, this film holds its own and is one of my favorite films of the year.