Common Sense Media Review
So-so comedy; not likely to interest kids.
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Fun with Dick and Jane
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is generally funny and entertaining, particularly for teens and adults, but it lacks substance and is not suitable for younger audiences, as the humor and themes may not resonate with children. While it contains comedic moments and relatable scenarios about financial struggles, many families found it boring or inappropriate due to strong language and suggestive content.
- entertaining comedy
- not for children
- strong language
- mixed reviews
- appeals to teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In FUN WITH DICK AND JANE, Dick (Jim Carrey) is a wealthy executive working for Globodyne Corporation under his CEO Jack McCallister (Alec Baldwin) and CFO Frank Bascom (Richard Jenkins). But Dick goofs up and causes the company to go belly up. At home, Dick learns that his wife Jane (Téa Leoni) has just quit her job as a travel agent, which is a major problem given their high lifestyle. While McCallister has flown the coop with $400 million, everyone else affiliated with the company is broke, depressed, and/or suicidal, including Frank, whom Dick discovers at a bar, drinking himself into oblivion. After a series of failed attempts to work, desperate, Dick and Jane turn to literal thievery, only a short step from the mendacious strategies embodied by McCallister. They rob convenience stores, sushi stores, jewelry stores, wearing costumes, and they hook up with Frank, who conjures a plan for revenge.
Is It Any Good?
Fun with Dick and Jane makes a basic point, summed up Dick's assessment of their situation: "We followed the rules, and we got screwed. We were good people, and we got screwed." As a result, they are rendered primal, desperate to "protect our land." Such reductiveness alludes to the primary school book recalled by the film's title. But that's about it. For a comedy with so much politico-cultural baggage on its mind (and it's not above using Enron as a final punch line), Dick and Jane remains curiously inert.
Dick's something of a one-dimensional joke, powered by Carrey's elasticky face and gyrational limbs. While he doesn't exactly pass as a "hardened criminal," despite his protestations to that effect, he's determined to make his point. Just so, the movie is at once clunky, witty, and earnest, as this pod combination constitutes a kind of comedic assertiveness.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the day laborers joke: while it may be funny to see Dick mistaken for "Mexican," how does this situation speak to real concerns for poor immigrants?
Do Dick and Jane learn any moral lessons from their ordeal?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 21, 2005
- On DVD or streaming : April 11, 2006
- Cast : Alec Baldwin , Jim Carrey , Tea Leoni
- Director : Dean Parisot
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Columbia Tristar
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : brief language, some sexual humor and occasional humorous drug references.
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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