Somebody ought to go yell at the art director for the DVD edition of Fun with Dick and Jane. It's a funny, sharp, highly entertaining movie, saddled with utterly generic cover art that looks like it was slapped together by a summer intern... cover art that says "eh, just keep walking" rather than "hey, look at me, I'm a really clever movie!" the way it ought to.

Honestly I wouldn't have pegged Fun with Dick and Jane as a movie I'd particularly like. It stars Jim Carrey, and while that's a selling point for many viewers, for me it was the opposite; I've never been a big Carrey fan, and some of his work has been positively grating. I have to admit, though, that Fun with Dick and Jane showcases all of Carrey's considerable comic talents, and serves as a convincing argument that 1. he's a better actor now than a few years ago, when he was more brash, and 2. a good-quality script is what he needs to shine.

The trailer for Fun with Dick and Jane touches on one aspect of the story: a suburban couple turns to robbery to sustain their affluent lifestyle. It's a funny section, to be sure, but what actually makes the film work so well is that this is just one segment of the whole story. Along the way, the film casts its humorous and often sharply satiric net over a number of topics: corporate culture and its yes-men; the middle-class nanny culture; job searching and the interview process; illegal workers; consumerism and the obsession with appearances; keeping up with the Joneses; and corporate greed. Along the way, Fun with Dick and Jane also manages to be a heist film. Sort of.

Fun with Dick and Jane has a kind of manic energy that is expressed quite delightfully in a number of over-the-top scenes, which I can't describe without spoiling for you. It's here - and in any number of smaller scenes - that Jim Carrey's mix of verbal and physical comedy comes off so well, with his madcap glee fitting in perfectly with the slightly surreal script. The key here, though, is that the filmmakers have kept the film balanced, wisely not trying to make it a "laugh a minute" from start to finish. The comic tension rises and falls, so that the humor ends up being effective all the way through the film.

The film is also a testament to the importance of pacing. I'd say that while tight pacing helps any film, it's even more important for a comedy than for a drama. Dragging out a scene in a comedy is usually the kiss of death for laughs, while a zippy pace keeps the audience smiling and wanting more. In the case of Fun with Dick and Jane, the pacing is handled extremely well. The film starts on an excellent note, with the characters introduced on-screen with labels along the lines of "See Dick... See Jane... See Spot..."; it's very funny and serves as a great hook for the viewer. My big question was whether the energy displayed in the credits sequence could possibly keep going over the course of the film, and to my pleasant surprise, the answer was "yes." The film doesn't manage to stay at that peak of energy absolutely consistently, but it's so briskly paced (without being rushed) that the whole film feels lively and energetic. And funny.

Last but not least, one of the things that works so well about Fun with Dick and Jane is the fact that its absurdities are in fact poking fun at the absurdities of U.S. culture. The film draws its humor from exaggerating reality; while a real interview is unlikely to degenerate into quite the knock-down, drag-out scene that we see here, for instance, in emotional terms it often feels like that. And part of the reason the humor has bite is that the scenario is closer to home than many people would like to admit; how many suburban homeowners are genuinely one corporate meltdown away from bankruptcy? Your real neighbors might not turn to crime after a layoff, but they might wish they could...

The DVD

Video

Fun with Dick and Jane is presented here in a clean, attractive transfer, at the film's original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1. (A pan-and-scan version is also included, but at least the menu screen makes it visually very clear that this option chops off part of the image.) The transfer is anamorphically enhanced, and looks very pleasing to the eye. Colors are bright and crisp, and contrast is handled well.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is very good, with the dialogue and the music portions of the track nicely balanced. The music is a substantial element of some scenes, and always sounds clean and natural. A French Dolby 5.1 track is also included.

Extras

The special features for this DVD are reasonably solid. There's an audio commentary track with director Dean Parisot and scriptwriters Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller, to start with, along with a set of outtakes for publicity interviews for the film. The short gag reel is quite funny, as are the deleted scenes, which are well worth watching.

Final thoughts

Fun with Dick and Jane is a pleasant surprise, a fresh and lively comedy that packs in a lot of sharp, clever humor into a well-paced 90-minute running time. Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni both deliver solid performances here, with several other well-known actors providing nice secondary roles. Despite the decidedly bland cover art, Fun with Dick and Jane is a DVD that's worth a look. In fact, I'll say that this is "highly recommended."