As unnecessary as they can be, it's becoming the norm to sit back and swallow remakes. Fun with Dick and Jane is a remake of a 1977 film that starred Jane Fonda and George Segal. In 2006, they're replaced with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. While fine in their roles, they're not fine in this movie.
For at least a half hour, Dick and Jane can be immensely entertaining. As Dick is laid off from a high-ranking executive spot due to an internal scandal, he's forced to take smaller jobs to create the income needed for their high-end lifestyle. Jane likewise is forced into smaller work, and these early moments work wonderfully.
Things fall apart when the couple becomes desperate for money. They get the idea to begin robbing people, and while it's mildly amusing to see two completely clueless people pull off the crime, it's not really that funny. Actually, it's nearly cruel. The characters, regardless of their situation, begin to enjoy the thrills.
Even for a light comedy, it's hard to swallow the on-screen antics. Never are Dick and Jane in any trouble with the law. No one seems to notice that their livelihood has returned in a short timespan. There are no news reports about a string of gunpoint robberies as they continue a small rampage to reclaim things they've lost.
Even in the end when the "right thing" (if you call it that) happens, they show no remorse for the crimes they committed that would likely land them 30 years on the low side. You're not rooting for the couple; you're against them.
Carrey is somewhat subdued in this role, though his typical antics do play a role. Leoni is fine and lands many of the film's best lines. Alec Baldwin is the best of the lot even with his limited screen time providing a dead serious character that meshes perfectly with the rest of the cast.
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