Subtitled a tribute to American ingenuity, Fun with Dick and Jane is loosely based on the characters of first readers it’s audience grew up on. The movie is a comedy about an American family living the dream, until Dick is fired and their “keeping up with the Jones” lifestyle comes crashing down around them. Jane is unskilled, Dick is more concerned with keeping up, appearances than his credit score. Plus, the clock is ticking as they loose their car, their yard and are barely keeping a roof over their heads.

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A tribute to baby boomer mentalities

Personally I think that this is better described as a tribute to privileged narcissism. Fun with Dick and Jane is first lighthearted about the characters taking responsibility for their situation. The premise is that in desperation to continue living the good life, Dick and Jane turn to a life of crime. This is sickly narcissistic, when so many Americans, never get to live the lifestyle they wanted to maintain. The complacency that Dick and Jane have towards those they steal from is unjustifiable. They argue that the crime is victimless, or that the big corporations had it coming, in the same way looters are plundering stores with impunity these days.

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I still think that Fun with Dick and Jane has some appeal to the boomer generation it targeted. Maybe for nostalgia, the 1977 release means that this film is filled with 70s fashions and decor. Or maybe something to reflect on, to understand the path we’ve chosen as a society. Fitting really when you think about it. The short stories that the characters were based on were meant to give the life skill of reading to a generation. The film, taken in retrospect of today’s widespread parallels, gives us a life lesson in the consequences to a society for accepting and rewarding those who break the rules.

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