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Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni step into the shoes of George Segal and Jane Fonda for Dean Parisot's remake of 1977 caper Fun With Dick And Jane. Sadly it's a bad fit. For two such gifted comic actors, it's surprising how few sparks they generate as a suburban couple using armed robbery to fund their plasma-TV-watching, sushi-noshing lifestyle. Their lack of conviction seems rooted in a script that, like Dick, fires in all directions and consistently misses the mark.

Carrey's unease is clear from the outset, howling a rendition of I Believe I Can Fly to celebrate an imminent promotion. It's trademark Carrey shtick, only there's a sense he's holding back - wanting us to believe that Dick is someone with real hopes and feelings instead of just a cartoon patsy. When the company folds in an Enron-type accounting scandal and his mortgage lender threatens eviction, Carrey even (gulp) sheds a tear. By this stage, the only man more desperate than Dick is the actor playing him - scrabbling to find the right tone.

"CHEAP LAUGHS"

Parisot does his cast no favours, switching from screwball comedy to political satire to heist caper in frantic search of a plot. Initially there are funny moments (like Dick being interviewed live as the company nosedives on the stock market) but when the couple finally turns to crime, the gags run out. Carrey and Leoni are reduced to donning silly costumes for cheap laughs before committing a criminally dull bank robbery in a tacked-on finale. If fun means money, this is near bankrupt.