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WP:ALT image description. Describe the style and contents of the poster. WP:STREAMLINE "The movie ends" they usually do, redundant to point it out.
Review from Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times
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==Reception==
==Reception==
⚫
The film received mixed reviews from critics. The film holds a 50% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 14 reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1007977_fun_with_dick_and_jane |title=Fun with Dick and Jane (1977) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref>

The film was Columbia's third highest-grossing film in the US in 1977<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Big Rental Films of 1977|date=January 4, 1978|page=21}}</ref> with rentals returned from the United States and Canada of $13.6 million.<ref name=rentals/>
The film was Columbia's third highest-grossing film in the US in 1977<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Big Rental Films of 1977|date=January 4, 1978|page=21}}</ref> with rentals returned from the United States and Canada of $13.6 million.<ref name=rentals/>

⚫
The film received mixed reviews from critics. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has a 50% rating based on reviews from 14 critics.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1007977_fun_with_dick_and_jane |title=Fun with Dick and Jane (1977) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2022-02-02 }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the [[Chicago Sun-Times]] gave it 2.5 out of 4, and wrote: "This stuff is funny enough, but somehow it's too easy. It's situation comedy, when the movie's earlier moments seemed to be promising us a hard-boiled commentary..."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |date=February 11, 1977 |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |author1-link=Roger Ebert |title=Fun with Dick and Jane |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fun-with-dick-and-jane-1977 |website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] }}</ref>


==Remake==
==Remake==
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


=== Bibliography ===
=== Bibliography ===
*{{cite book |last1=McMahon |first1=Ed |last2=Fisher |first2=David |title=For Laughing Out Loud: My Life and Good Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iRv_TqNmvgQC&q=%22Fun+with+Dick+and+Jane%22+%22George+Segal%22+-%22Jim+Carrey%22&pg=PT249 |date=1998 |publisher=Warner Books |location=New York |isbn=9780446523707 }}
* {{cite book |last1=McMahon |first1=Ed |last2=Fisher |first2=David |title=For Laughing Out Loud: My Life and Good Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iRv_TqNmvgQC&q=%22Fun+with+Dick+and+Jane%22+%22George+Segal%22+-%22Jim+Carrey%22&pg=PT249 |date=1998 |publisher=Warner Books |location=New York |isbn=9780446523707 }}


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 12:17, 3 February 2022

Fun with Dick and Jane
A cartoon drawing of two parents, a house and a car. Small photographs are pasted in place of faces of the father and mother.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTed Kotcheff
Screenplay by
Story byGerald Gaiser
Produced byPeter Bart
Max Palevsky
Starring
CinematographyFred J. Koenekamp
Edited byDanford B. Greene
Music byErnest Gold
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • February 9, 1977 (1977-02-09)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4.5 million[2]
Box office$13.6 million (US/Canada rentals)[3]

Fun with Dick and Jane is a 1977 American comedy film starring George Segal and Jane Fonda. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the film is caustically critical of the "anarchy" of the American way of life.

The character names come from the Dick and Jane series of children's educational books, and the title is taken from the title of one of the books in the series.

Plot

Dick Harper is a successful aerospace engineer in Los Angeles, where he and wife Jane have a lovely house, with a swimming pool and new lawn under way. Jane takes care of their son, Billy.

Because of financial reversals at the business, however, Dick's boss, Charlie Blanchard, suddenly fires him. Dick and Jane owe more than $70,000 and abruptly find themselves with no income. Their attempts to find other gainful employment fail. Jane lands a fashion modeling appearance at a restaurant that becomes a fiasco. Dick ends up applying for unemployment and food stamps, while Jane's wealthy parents, rather than helping, advise them to use this experience positively as a life lesson.

Unable to come up with any other solution to their problems, Dick and Jane turn to a life of crime. They make an effort to select their victims judiciously – robbing the telephone company, for example, so making the customers in line cheer. In time, Dick and Jane weigh their guilty consciences against their needs, trying to get back their old lives and stay out of jail. They make the decision to "retire" from robbery. However, almost immediately they see Charlie Blanchard on television, testifying in front of a Congressional committee. After realizing that Charlie keeps two hundred thousand dollars in his office as a slush fund (used to pay off lawmakers), Dick and Jane decide to rob Charlie. At a gala at Dick's old firm, Dick and Jane break into Charlie's office, crack the safe, and steal the money. They leave his office and make it to the main floor of the building, but the building's security guards alert Charlie before the couple can leave. They are seen guarding all the exits. Dick admits to Charlie that he and Jane have stolen his money. However, they also explain that Jane has called the police about the theft. Knowing that the $200,000 might be confiscated by the authorities and lead to further unwanted investigations, Charlie tells the arriving police that no crime was committed and walks the couple safely out of the building.

A press release announces that Dick has been hired to be president of the firm, as Charlie has resigned.

Cast

Reception

The film was Columbia's third highest-grossing film in the US in 1977[4] with rentals returned from the United States and Canada of $13.6 million.[3]

The film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 50% rating based on reviews from 14 critics.[5]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 2.5 out of 4, and wrote: "This stuff is funny enough, but somehow it's too easy. It's situation comedy, when the movie's earlier moments seemed to be promising us a hard-boiled commentary..."[6]

Remake

The film was remade in 2005 with the same title, starring Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni.[7]

References

  1. ^ "FUN WITH DICK AND JANE (A)". British Board of Film Classification. 1976-12-15. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  2. ^ ALJEAN HARMETZ (26 June 1978). "Studios Are Picking Up More Films From Independents". The New York Times. p. C18.
  3. ^ a b Cohn, Lawrence (October 15, 1990). "All-Time Film Rental Champs". Variety. p. M160.
  4. ^ "Big Rental Films of 1977". Variety. January 4, 1978. p. 21.
  5. ^ "Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  6. ^ Ebert, Roger (February 11, 1977). "Fun with Dick and Jane". Chicago Sun-Times.
  7. ^ Fun with Dick and Jane at Box Office Mojo

Bibliography

External links

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