Have Fun With Dick And Jane
We have to admit that overcoming hardship may initially be difficult to do. After we get over the feeling of helplessness, there is a new focus and a recalculation of goals.
We learn to put things behind us and forge ahead. We have to get back to feeling good, feeling God and feeling our oomph again.
One such technique to getting back into good spirits is laughter. Without it, we would be subjected to torturous tedium.
In the film, Fun With Dick And Jane, Jim Carrey plays a newly promoted executive whose corporate ladder is abruptly pushed out from under him.
He doesn’t crash to the floor though. His smashup is much further and harder as he scuds through the black abyss like a missile into darkness, hitting the target with a fiery crash.
He and his wife Jane, played by Téa Leoni recently bought a new house in a nice neighborhood and were proud owners of the American dream, only to have it turn into an unforgettable nightmare.
In anticipation of living “The good life,” Jane quits her job when she hears of her husbands promotion. Before he is able to tell her that he doesn’t have a job any more, she has already made arrangements to finish home projects that they had been putting off - one being getting a new luscious green front lawn.
Dick’s attempts to find employment are fruitless - he can’t get a job to save his life. Creditors repossess everything including their front lawn.
Mounting debt and a pending repossession of their house causes them to journey into a life of crime that doesn’t seem to make their troubles go away.
They finally hatch a scheme to recoup all of their money that was tied up in the company and they end up with a new life.
That’s what life is - a chance to wake up. A chance to start over. A chance to wipe away mistakes of the past.
When this film came out in December of 2005, it was panned by the critics because they never took it serious, which is a shame because it is better than many films that are highly praised. That’s the whole point of a comedy - it’s not serious.
This film was before it’s time. It’s about our economy now in 2008.
Though things seem bleak, their is still laughter in bleakness. We can still laugh and escape our own mental turmoil. We can still laugh to alleviate stress.
One of my favorite scenes is when Dick, tired of looking at the dirt that used to have a front lawn, steals patches of grass in the middle of the night to try to offer some semblance of normalcy. In that moment, all he wants is a front lawn again. Though he wakes up filthy from digging all night, he is happy and proud that he has a front lawn again.
To him that grass represents something more than grass - it represents growth, renewal, rejuvenation and peace in chaos. It represents his home, his heart, his Soul.
In the most stressful times, you can always regain your Soul. Home is where your Soul resides. Keep those home fires burning.
14 comments:
Your reference to this film reminds people to find the comedy in their own lives. At the first sign of difficulty, many people withdraw into silence and despair. Yet, they forget that each event unfolds to teach us something valuable and uplifting. People rarely "need" what they believe. A huge number of outlooks in the western world are materialistic. As events unfold, they invite people to rethink the basis for their perspective. In essence, people are invited to shatter their own myths and rethink beliefs that no longer serve them.
Ah Alexys... I love how you see things... I never saw the movie, but the lessons you emphasize in it are true :)
(Hugs) and a happy Thursday to your Soul...
life regenerates itself..you climb you fall and then climb again.till you reach the point where you want to be
Yes, we must return home to where we keep that ember burning.
Dick and Jane was a remake of a movie made in the early 70's by the same name. It was a good movie then too.
Your perspectives are indeed blessings that encourage your readers to expand their horizons.
Hi Liara,
I often wonder what people would do if they gave up their material possessions? God forbid if they should have to speak to people face to face and have real emotions as opposed to emoticons.
I don't think it is the possessions per se, but the lack of feelings. Technology has administered us a heaping does of anesthesia - we are still asleep.
Hi Annie,
Thanks for your kind words. See the movie if you want to laugh.
Happy weekend my friend.
Hi Robert,
Very well said. Life regenerates itself. I like the sound of that.
Hi Mark,
Yes, I heard it was a remake. I didn't see the original, but I will look out for it. Thanks for sharing.
Liara,
Thank you my friend. If I can tweak the imagination with a little light and expansion, I'm all for it. Thanks for this addition.
Alexys, I like your analogy with anesthesia. As each human being is at a personal stage of self-awareness, the waking up process is different for everyone.
Hi Liara,
I agree. :D
Hmm, that's a very interesting sounding movie. I'm not really that much into movie watching but it sounds both entertaining and reasonably meaningful.
Nathan
Nathan,
It is an amusing film that offers great insight into greed and the collapse of one's own personal economy.
Post a Comment