Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Menu Audio Dolby Digital Trailer Audio Commentary-Filmmakers' Featurette-Press Junket Highlights Outtakes Deleted Scenes Trailer-Open Season, Zathura, Yours, Mine & Ours, The Producers Trailer-Bewitched
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	86:41
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (46:35)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4,5	Directed By	Dean Parisot
Studio Distributor	Sony Pictures Home Entertain	Starring	Jim Carrey Téa Leoni Richard Jenkins Angie Harmon John Michael Higgins Richard Burgi Carlos Jacott Gloria Garayua Michelle Arthur Stacey Travis Timm Sharp David Herman Dempsey Pappion
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	Theodore Shapiro Curt Sobel

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English Italian Spanish Dutch Hindi Portuguese English Audio Commentary Italian Audio Commentary Spanish Audio Commentary Dutch Audio Commentary English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	Yes
		Action In or After Credits	No

I think I should acknowledge the truth before I continue my review of Fun with Dick and Jane (2005); I am a fan of Jim Carrey. After viewing this film it occurred to me that if you dislike the typical Jim Carrey shenanigans you will quite possibly dislike this film as Carrey himself produced it, and with this level of control his trademark humour is more than apparent, it’s all over the film. The positive of this is that if you're a fan of Carrey you will be more than pleased as this is not only a straight comedy vehicle for the actor but also a well written satire on Corporate America.

I was also happy to learn the story and screenplay of Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) involved Judd Apatow who is probably most well known for directing The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), although for me his name is synonymous with one of my favourite television shows, Freaks and Geeks (2000), for which he served as executive producer and director on some episodes. Also, the film is directed by Dean Parisot whose last film was the great Galaxy Quest (1999). Rounding off such fine talent are Téa Leoni and Alec Baldwin channelling George W. Bush.

I am unfamiliar with the original Fun with Dick and Jane (1977) which starred George Segal and Jane Fonda so I am unable to make any fair comparisons, but in respect to the updated version Carrey and Leoni work very well off each other and they have equal on-screen presence, which in itself is no easy feat as Carrey usually steals the limelight in his films. The duo star as Dick and Jane Harper, a middle class suburban couple with a young son named Billy (Aaron Michael Drozin) who is fluent in Spanish as he spends most of his time with the maid, Bianca (Gloria Garayua), as both parents work full time jobs.

As we are introduced to Dick he is promptly promoted to Vice President of telecommunications at his firm, Globodyne. This is a position Dick has been working towards for more than a decade but just as he receives the gracious position which would allow his wife Jane to quit her travel agency job and stay at home with their son Billy, it is taken away from him as Globodyne falls into bankruptcy. The fallout of Globodyne not only costs its employees their jobs but as Dick and Jane had their life savings and pensions in Globodyne shares, the couple lose all financial stability. Even more worrying is that Globodyne is slowly being revealed as corrupt and fraudulent through court proceedings and media coverage.

Despite the worrying situation Dick and Jane try to make the best of it and Jane does stay at home with Billy while Dick tries to find another job. Even Bianca the maid stays with the family despite Dick and Jane being only able to pay her in appliances. But when Dick and Jane are faced with the prospect of losing their home they desperately turn to armed robbery. From this point on the film turns into a comic caper, so we get to have Fun with Dick and Jane.

I enjoyed the film but as I am unfamiliar with Corporate America, I missed a lot of the jokes until I read about the collapse of the Enron Corporation in 2001, which is what the film is actually based on as the film is set in 2000. Again if you are not a fan of Carrey you may not like this film as some scenes are just Carrey misbehaving for no just reason but if you like Carrey you should enjoy the film. Keep an eye out for the end credits which include the names of persons and corporations involved in the greatest financial collapses in American business history, who the film-makers thank.

Video

Presented in 2.40:1 widescreen and 16x9 enhanced the transfer is crisp, clear and free of shortcomings. Colours remain bright and well saturated and there is no significant grain. An excellent transfer with an obtrusive layer change which occurs in the midst of a scene at 46:35. Subtitles are true to the onscreen dialogue.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The audio is by no means aggressive but it is an encompassing experience. The dialogue is clear and the film includes a range of popular songs including Rancid, Sade, Johnny Cash, Devo, Cypress Hill and Sam Cooke. The upbeat soundtrack and ‘action’ sequences make use of the surround sound with average usage of the subwoofer.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Filmmaker's Audio Commentary

Director Dean Parisot and writers Judd Apatow & Nicholas Stoller contribute a light and funny take on the feature film. The trio do speak of the film making process but of course being the comedians they are they mostly joke with each other.

Press Junket Highlights

A montage of Carrey and Leoni from promotional interviews for the film. I am not sure these are authentic as the journalists ask unintelligent questions and the exchanges between Carrey and Leoni seem premeditated. (3.55)

Gag Reel

A staple of any comic Jim Carrey feature. (3.05)

Deleted Scenes

A selection of six scenes presumably cut because they feature sexual innuendo, some are extensions of scenes in the film. (9.09)

Trailer

Trailers for Open Season, Zathura, Yours, Mine and Ours, The Producers and Bewitched.

The only difference is the R1 also includes a 4:3 'Full Screen' version and English closed captions.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall