A Review by Phil Calabro
2005, Columbia Pictures/Imagine Entertainment, Dir. Dean Parisot - Starring Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni, Alec Baldwin, Richard Jenkins, Carlos Jacott, Gloria Garayua, Jeff Garlin, Richard Burgi, Chris Ellis, John Michael Higgins, Pavel Lychnikoff, Ralph Nader
It's our time for our annual Jim Carrey movie. I expected the rubbery grins and scowls. I expected the occasional nonsensical rant that interupts the plot every now and then. But I also expected to laugh, but frankly, that just didn't come about. 'Fun with Dick and Jane' is a grab bag of storylines and loose ends, pieced together frantically trying to make a satire about corporate America, as well as a heist feature and a revenge comedy. None of these plots work sufficiently to keep any audience member interested or amused, which exposes a rough spot in '40 Year-Old Virgin' screenwriter Judd Apatow's resume. The viewer can have their goofy Jim Carrey antics any old day, but it helps if what he's running on is sturdy enough to withstand it. Moods change within the movie, it switches from clownish to depressing. Unemployment and corporate downfall isn't exactly prime comedy material in the first place, and a bony storyline leaves 'Fun with Dick and Jane' in more shambles than WorldCom.
'Fun' takes place in 2000 to show their widespread support for the Gore/Lieberman ticket, located within an unlocated suburbia. It is the rising age of the modern corporation, as companies are soon transformed into white-collar factories with nice lobbies and stainless steel elevators. Dick Harper (Carrey) is one of these white-collar workers, slaving away for Globodyne, a megacorp run by multi-millionaire Jack McAllister (Baldwin). Dick lives with his lovely Wife Jane (Leoni), who has finally quit her travel agency job after it is rumored that Dick will be receiving a vice presidency position at Globodyne. Instead, Dick is sent by McAllister to talk on a business show, only to realize it's broadcasting while Globodyne is going to tank. Left without a job and with the company's downfall on his back, Dick is left unemployed and broke, as McAllister makes off without a hint of blame. Dick and Jane then realize they must make money quick, so they use their last resort: armed robbery. When they've realized small locales have aged, they set up their most elaborate heist: robbing Jack McAllister.
Jim Carrey is Hollywood's Man of Rubber, but I'm afraid his schtick is wearing its welcome. 'Lemony Snicket' was a joy to watch, as his eccentricity was not only expected, but necessary to the character of Count Olaf. If any corporation ever had a guy like Jim Carrey meddling through their offices, there's no surprise why they ever went under. Carrey is too bonkers for Dick Harper, a role that requires at least some sort of mental structure. Like his character of Charlie from 'Me, Myself, and Irene', Jim never has a full grasp on Dick's emotional control, swinging the moods on and off throughout 'Fun'. First he's a family man, and before you know it, he's psychotic. Tea Leoni has relatively no chemistry with Carrey, as their personalities clash every other scene. Watching them act out 'husband and wife' mentalities is purely comedic, and not sufficient for what the story calls for. Alec Baldwin returns in another B-Grade performance as you average CEO - a typical Southern-accented scumbucket whose press conferences are as disposable as toilet paper.
Whether you analyze the original or this remake, 'Fun with Dick and Jane' is not a funny movie. The material focuses arounda tragedy that Americans every day must deal with, a heartbreaking and crushing loss for their lives and jobs. Eviction, corporate downfall, and unemployment are not meant to be comedic, so there's the first slipup. Enron was a national crisis, as thousands of innocent workers were left jobless and ruined because of common avarice - so it's hard to take Dick and Jane's scenario and treat it with a sense of humor. As the Harpers are left with nowhere else to run, the film becomes progressively darker and more disturbing, as we watch the couple run through each of their possibilities with no luck. Do you think any former (and innocent) Enron employee would ever want to sit through this movie?
'Fun with Dick and Jane' has Jim Carrey dancing, grinning, robbing, running, and goofing off in general - but never had me laughing. His time has worn out, as the movie has proved. This isn't the wild comedy with fart jokes that audiences expect, 'Fun' is a sick joke disguised as an 'Ace Ventura' comeback tour.
