"Fun With Dick & Jane" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Fun With Dick & Jane (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Soundtrack Description

Overview

Corporate meltdown as a funk party? That’s the joke—and the engine—of Fun with Dick & Jane. Theodore Shapiro’s score raids 70s caper-funk (clavinet, wah guitar, tight horns) and bolts it to 2000s studio-comedy slickness. Between cues, the film needles drops across soul, hip-hop, new wave, classic rock, and alt-pop to turn each misdeed into a set-piece with swagger.

No retail “various artists” album exists; instead, the official release is Shapiro’s score CD on Varèse Sarabande, shipped January 24, 2006. The movie itself opened in December 2005. Cue sheets and fan indexes (e.g., WhatSong; IMDb’s soundtrack page) capture the on-screen songs—Sade to Dr. John, Sublime to Rancid—mapping the couple’s descent from VP-and-mortgage to masked heist duo.

Questions & Answers

Film or album year—2005 or 2006?

The film released in 2005; the score album shipped January 24, 2006.

Who composed the score?

Theodore Shapiro. The CD is a 23-cue score release on Varèse Sarabande.

Is there an official “songs” compilation?

No. Only the score has an official album; the movie’s source songs are spread across artist releases.

What’s the opening musical vibe?

70s-styled caper funk—establishes that the crime spree will play as satire, not grit.

Which familiar catalog tracks show up?

Examples: “Smooth Operator” (Sade), “Right Place, Wrong Time” (Dr. John), “What I Got” (Sublime), “Time Bomb” (Rancid), “Uncontrollable Urge” (Devo).

Does the soundtrack use diegetic gags?

Yes. A running-in-car gag weaponizes syrupy elevator music; several party/store scenes are source-music driven.

Notes & Trivia

• The score’s “The Insects Are All Around Us” appears on the CD—but a different cue with the same title by Money Mark is used onscreen during a botched convenience-store robbery.
• Two versions of “Right Place, Wrong Time” circulate in listings (Dr. John; Jon Spencer Blues Explosion cover) reflecting alt placements/edits.
• Franz Ferdinand’s “Do You Want To” powered trailer spots, not core narrative scenes.
• Shapiro leans into period-funk pastiche as a character: corporate crimes staged like a blaxploitation caper is the satirical needle.

Genres & Themes

’70s caper-funk (score) → irony and propulsion; crime as choreography rather than menace.

Soul/R&B slow-burn → suave masks for desperate plans (Sade, Sam Cooke).

Alt-rock & pop-punk → scramble energy and bad ideas (Rancid, Sublime).

Classic rock / remix → swagger beats for “we might pull this off” (BT vs. The Doors).

Tracks & Scenes

“Uncontrollable Urge” — Devo
Where it plays: Montage of small-time robberies as Dick & Jane “practice” crime.
Why it matters: Nervy post-punk turns failure into slapstick momentum.

“Smooth Operator” — Sade
Where it plays: A slick pre-break-in beat as Dick preps to confront the CEO.
Why it matters: Velvet irony—cool veneer, zero leverage.

“Right Place, Wrong Time” — Dr. John
Where it plays: A mid-capers misfire; plans keep almost clicking.
Why it matters: Title-as-commentary—the couple’s luck never fully turns.

“What I Got” — Sublime
Where it plays: Pawn/sell-off montage when the Harpers start liquidating their life.
Why it matters: Laid-back groove softens the sting of humiliation.

“Time Bomb” — Rancid
Where it plays: Grass-stealing gag and other chaotic errands.
Why it matters: Ska-punk hop gives the film a reckless, bouncy gait.

“Alive & Amplified” — The Mooney Suzuki
Where it plays: Masked heist montage (Bill & Hillary → Sonny & Cher; later Blues Brothers disguises).
Why it matters: High-octane garage-rock = “we’re finally good at crime” rush.

“Insane in the Brain” — Cypress Hill
Where it plays: Dick’s first “successful” robbery—at a head shop.
Why it matters: Brazen, comic bravado matches the scene’s absurdity.

“The Best Things in Life Are Free” — Sam Cooke (live)
Where it plays: Brief palate-cleanser during regroup.
Why it matters: Crooner warmth as a moral wink in a film about stolen millions.

“The Insects Are All Around Us” — Money Mark
Where it plays: Convenience-store stick-up goes sideways with a Slurpee brain freeze.
Why it matters: Quirky keyboard funk undercuts menace; pure farce.

“Break On Through (To the Other Side) [Remix]” — BT vs. The Doors
Where it plays: Adrenalized build into a late-film move against the corporate villain.
Why it matters: A classic-to-club remix sells “epic” stakes inside a comedy.

Notable trailer cut: “Do You Want To” — Franz Ferdinand (promo use).

Music–Story Links

The score’s retro-funk frames Dick & Jane as wannabe folk-heroes; every wah-guitar lick says “caper,” not “crime.” Catalog picks act like captions: “Right Place, Wrong Time” narrates their almost-wins; “Alive & Amplified” confers competence when they don disguises; Devo’s “Uncontrollable Urge” mirrors the jittery spiral from layoffs to lawlessness. Even the BT/Doors remix recasts corporate takedown as dance-floor catharsis—satire with a wink.

How It Was Made

Shapiro’s brief: make a modern studio comedy feel like a 70s caper. Hence tight rhythm sections, clav-centric riffs, and short, modular cues that cut cleanly around gags. Varèse Sarabande issued the score CD; no official “songs” compilation followed. Supervisory choices favor instantly readable hooks so jokes land in seconds.

Reception & Quotes

Reviewers noted the funk-leaning pastiche as part of the film’s satiric posture. Fans built unofficial playlists to replicate the film’s needle-drop energy since only the score received an album release.

“Dominant style…pure ’70s funk, resurrecting Isaac Hayes-era instrumentation with unashamed enthusiasm.” Filmtracks

“Score album only—23 cues on Varèse Sarabande; songs live on artist releases.” SoundtrackINFO / MovieMusic

Additional Info

• Official album: Fun With Dick & Jane (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — Theodore Shapiro — Varèse Sarabande (CD), shipped Jan 24, 2006.
• No retail “songs” OST; verified placements via end credits and databases.
• Multiple entries list both the Dr. John original and a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion cover of “Right Place, Wrong Time.”
• Trailer music (Franz Ferdinand) differs from in-film cues.
• Money Mark’s track title overlap with a Shapiro cue causes frequent fan confusion.

Technical Info

• Title: Fun with Dick & Jane — Score Album
• Film Year: 2005 (U.S. release)
• Album Ship Date: January 24, 2006
• Type: Original score (no official various-artists release)
• Composer: Theodore Shapiro
• Label: Varèse Sarabande (Cat. No. 302 066 711; UPC 03020667112)
• Selected notable placements (in film): Devo “Uncontrollable Urge”; Sade “Smooth Operator”; Dr. John “Right Place, Wrong Time”; Sublime “What I Got”; Rancid “Time Bomb”; Money Mark “The Insects Are All Around Us”; BT vs. The Doors “Break On Through (Remix)”

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: WhatSong; SoundtrackINFO / MovieMusic; Filmtracks; IMDb Soundtracks.

November, 09th 2025