Fun with Dick and Jane / Les folies de Dick et Jane

The names, of course, are a play on the `Fun with Dick and Jane' series of children's books. In this film version, they even have a dog, Spot - see Spot stop barking (in quite an interesting manner, and yes, I sat through the film to make sure that no animals were harmed). This updated version of the 1977 original film adds elements of the modern American corporate world to the basic storyline, which still works nearly a generation later. In the credits, inspirational credit is given to Enron, Worldcom and a host of other corporations whose financial outcomes did not live up to the fullness of the American dream.

Dick is a mid-level executive with a multinational corporation. His wife Jane is a travel agent, who seems to only attract the customers from hell. When Dick gets the promotion to senior executive, vice-presidential level, Jane sees the opportunity to let her job sail away, and becomes a full-time housewife. Meanwhile, Dick's company does a dot-com bubble burst fast enough to generate a sonic boom, leaving both Dick and Jane without a job in a corporate town where suddenly everyone is unemployed.

The furniture, the car, even the lawn gets sold or repossessed, as Dick and Jane variously look for ways to make ends meet with odd jobs and gray-market tactics. Finally, Dick has had enough. He decides to rob a convenience store. After a few abortive attempts, he finally succeeds in a small score, and both the cash and the excitement propel both Dick and Jane into further and further escapades. However, this is small-time items, and when another couple from the same corporation is caught doing the same thing as Dick and Jane, the couple decide that it is time to retire, but not before making one last retirement heist.

Enter here the twist - in the original film, Dick knew of a safe upstairs in the corporate office that held lots of undocumented cash. In the modern version, Dick discovers a sort of modern equivalent, that being off-shore accounts. Can Dick and Jane find a way to take the loot?

The ending here is in some ways predictable, but has a very interesting twist which shows both a generosity of spirit and a justice-will-be-done aspect that is truly well done. Would that the same could be done for the real-life corporations mentioned in the end!

Jim Carrey and Tea Leone make a great comedic duo in this film; Alec Baldwin plays the not-quite-as-stupid-as-he-seems corporate leader with good flair. The slip from success to unemployment to armed robbery is not seen as shocking, but somehow natural and understandable in the modern world (which is in and of itself a frightening idea).

Nothing deep or profound, and the script is servicable if not brilliant, but there is fun indeed with this film.