Fun with Dick & Jane

In director Dean Parisot's update of the 1977 Ted Kotcheff original (which starred George Segal and Jane Fonda), Dick (Jim Carrey) and his wife Jane—played by Téa Leoni, who could be a comic genius if someone figured out what to do with her—are economic roadkill, having been hit-and-run by the Enron-esque implosion of Dick's former company. Together, they are the butt of the flick's mean-spirited humor, which finds them going all out to survive: from taking a demeaning job at the local Megalomart, to selling the TV and making their little boy cry, to becoming guinea pigs in cosmetics testing! If there's meant to be any satire in the idea that these two will do almost anything to maintain their obscene consumerist lifestyle, it's lost in the film's poking fun at what lots of ordinary working-class folks do to make a living. Could this be in worse taste at a time when McMansion-owning Dick-and-Janes of the world have to choose between heating their houses and paying the mortgage? Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary with director Dean Parisot and screenwriters Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller, six deleted scenes (11 min.), four minutes of press junket publicity highlights, a three-minute gag reel, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing remake.] (M. Johanson)