'Fun With Dick and Jane' DVD Review *** 081005
(1977)
The Work = ***
Here is a movie that is so slight that is has faded into a bit of obscurity. 'Fun With Dick and Jane' is not a bad film and as such has not developed a reputation. On the flip side it is not a great, classic film either. Chances are the only reason someone might have heard of it is because it is being remade as a fairly large budget comedy starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni.
This version stars George Segal and Jane Fonda as Dick and Jane. They are a slice of white upper middle class Americana. They have a son, live in a neighborhood that would be a yuppies dream and are good spenders. They have a picturebook living.
Then something happens… Dick looses his job. The couple have been good spenders and as such have nothing to fall back on. Jane has not been working and the couple both start to look for work and try to save their home. The movie takes a little while to get going.
To be honest, it took me awhile to get into 'Fun With Dick and Jane'. It is strange because the movie slowly grew on me. Segal and Fonda work surprisingly well and their arguments are quite entertaining. I found Dick’s comments about Jane’s career possibilities especially funny.
Now, if you know nothing about the plot and don’t want to know what Dick and Jane end up doing to make some cash than you might as well stop reading now and check out the movie. For what it is worth I knew going into the film and I didn’t feel it affected my enjoyment of 'Fun With Dick and Jane'. After some failed employment attempts Dick and Jane resort to armed robbery. The film kicks into gear once Dick and Jane start trying to find work and continues through their comical crime spree.
The whole film is pretty tongue and cheek and makes for light entertainment. I mentioned Segal and Fonda work well together and they really carry this movie. They have a certain charm that helps to make their rather one note characters interesting. Segal boosts the humor and Fonda is sexy in her sometimes comical outfits.In a way, it is surprising the two didn’t try teaming up more often.
DVD = ***
The Look
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The transfer looked just OK to me. I am guessing Columbia/ Tristar didn’t spend to much time on the transfer of 'Fun With Dick and Jane'.
The Sound
This one sounded alright. There is nothing remarkable about the soundtrack but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The film is presented in Dolby Digital and has optional English subtitles.
The Bonus
A freaken’ trailer. OK, so this is not one of the greats of cinema but it is still a good film that deserves to be seen and should have some extras. Segal and Fonda really make this flic’ and at the very least some interviews with them would be nice/ Come on Columbia/ Tristar, make it happen… There is a blurb about some additional scenes that were added into the TV version of this movie that are missing from the DVD. If they do in fact exist it would have been nice to at least have them as deleted scenes on the disc. I also think the studio could have done a better job with the cover which looks pretty lame and gives not indication of what the movie is about.
All Together = ***
Here is a film that may become better known once the remake of it is released. The only reason I heard of the film and checked it out was I happened to be looking at lobby cards from 70s films and happen to come across the ones from 'Fun With Dick and Jane'. They looked interesting so I checked out the movie. Even though, it took its time to get going I was pleasantly surprised. It is a light film but for a fun little comedy it is easy to recommend. Some clever dialogue and Segal and Fonda’s performances keep this one from being a forgettable movie. Recommended.
-Nate
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