Fun with Dick and Jane (1977 film)
| Fun with Dick and Jane | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Ted Kotcheff |
| Screenplay by | David Giler Jerry Belson Mordecai Richler |
| Story by | Gerald Gaiser |
| Produced by | Peter Bart Max Palevsky |
| Starring | George Segal Jane Fonda Ed McMahon |
| Cinematography | Fred J. Koenekamp |
| Edited by | Danford B. Greene |
| Music by | Ernest Gold |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| 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[]
 | This article needs an improved plot summary. (August 2013) |
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.
The movie ends with a press release that states Dick has been hired to be the president of the firm, as Charlie has resigned.
Cast[]
- George Segal as Dick Harper
- Jane Fonda as Jane Harper
- Ed McMahon as Charlie Blanchard
- Dick Gautier as Dr. Will
- Allan Miller as Loan company manager
- Hank Garcia as Raoul Esteban
- John Dehner as Jane's father
- Mary Jackson as Jane's mother
- Walter Brooke as Mr. Weeks
- Sean Frye as Billy
- Fred Willard as Bob
- John Brandon as Pete Winston
- Thayer David as Deacon
- Burke Byrnes as Roger
- Dewayne Jesse as Robber
- Anne Ramsey as Employment applicant
- Jon Christian Erickson as Transsexual
- Gloria Stroock as Mildred Blanchard
- Art Evans as Man at Bar
- Richard Foronjy as Landscape Man
- Harry Holcombe as Pharmacist
- Thalmus Rasulala (uncredited) as Johnson, Income Maintenance Technician
- Jay Leno (uncredited) as Carpenter
Reception[]
Fun with Dick and Jane received mixed reviews from critics. The film currently holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews.[4]
The film was Columbia's third highest-grossing film in the US in 1977[5] with rentals returned from the United States and Canada of $13.6 million.[3]
Remake[]
The film was remade in 2005 with the same title, starring Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni.[6]
References[]
- ^ "FUN WITH DICK AND JANE (A)". British Board of Film Classification. 1976-12-15. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
- ^ Studios Are Picking Up More Films From Independents By ALJEAN HARMETZ. New York Times 26 June 1978: C18
- ^ a b Cohn, Lawrence (October 15, 1990). "All-Time Film Rental Champs". Variety. p. M160.
- ^ "Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1977". Variety. January 4, 1978. p. 21.
- ^ Fun with Dick and Jane at Box Office Mojo
Bibliography[]
- McMahon, Ed; Fisher, David (1998). For Laughing Out Loud: My Life and Good Times. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 9780446523707.
External links[]
- 1977 films
- English-language films
- 1970s crime comedy films
- American satirical films
- American crime comedy films
- American heist films
- American films
- Films directed by Ted Kotcheff
- Mordecai Richler
- Termination of employment in popular culture
- Films scored by Ernest Gold
- Films with screenplays by Jerry Belson
- 1970s heist films
- Columbia Pictures films
- 1977 comedy films