Movie Review

Fun With Dick & Jane
Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni

We were in the mood for something easy and fun so we rented this little gem. Basic premise: Dick gets a promotion so Jane quits her thankless job, then Dick immediately loses his job when his company experiences an Enron-esque collapse (at the hands of Alec Baldwin, who too often gets stuck playing the smarmy boss). Months go by, their lawn is repossessed, they've sold everything they could, drive a joke of a car, and they're at their wits end. Thus: armed robbery, with increasingly creative costumes. (The arms in question are squirtguns that just look like handguns.) What's especially good is that the breaking point for Dick is not the foreclosure of his home, it's his wife saying he just doesn't have 'bad ass' in him. Anyone who is married knows why that's so right on.
It's pretty dang funny. Alot of physical hilarity and clever stuff like their grade school son speaking Spanglish as a result of spending more time with the housekeeper than his parents. At one point, Dick gets deported to Mexico and Jane comes to rescue him and pack his 12 new immigrant friends into the little clunker clown car. It's good stuff. The reason this movie works is because the chemistry between Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni is great. They acheive that vibe of people who are married and are truly amused by their spouse in an affectionate way. i think 'a lifetime of hilarity' should be included in wedding vows.
Richard Jenkins is great as the indicted CFO, Alec Baldwin, of course, is great (but seriously folks, let's give the man a challenge), Tea Leoni is incredibly likeable, albeit too thin, and Jim Carrey i just love in general. There were a few too many Carrey-esque, Ace Ventura throwback moments, but for the most part it worked. All-around fun flick, good to watch with the parents or when you're in the mood for silliness without the toilet humor. 5 out of 5 muddy handprints.