Not much fun with manic Jim

Forget the entertaining old movie with George Segal and Jane Fonda if you can, because there's not nearly as much fun to be had with this farcical remake. Starring Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni, it tries far too hard to be funny.

Carrey plays Dick, a minor cog in a big corporation's machine who is summoned by the boss and surprised with a vice-presidency. He thinks he's made it at last, only to find an Enron-like situation at the top and the boss (Alec Baldwin) making off with the funds as the firm collapses in a bankrupt heap.

He ends up as a supermarket greeter, having to sell everything his wife bought when she heard of his upgrading. In order to eat, they turn to crime.

It all starts off as quite a shrewd and funny critique of untrammelled American capitalism. But the comedy gets broader and broader as it progresses, disintegrating into a showcase for Carrey's more manic style.

At the end, the filmmakers cheekily thanks Enron for its inspiration. But it often seems as if the films of Jerry Lewis are its true source. That may satisfy some but there weren't too many guffaws around when I saw it, and certainly none from me.

Fun With Dick And Jane
Cert: cert12A