I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: To ensure health benefits for his child, a straight firefighter (Kevin James) convinces his equally straight firefighter friend (Adam Sandler) to pretend to be a gay couple so they can collect domestic partner benefits. The problem goes awry when an insurance investigator (Steve Buscemi) begins investigating the "couple."

Review:

Tim: The first time I saw this movie (in theatres), I thought it was pretty funny. However, the more I thought about it, and watching it a second time, I had some serious issues with the film. First off, the whole mining gay marriages for comedy is a slightly poor move. It would be different if the film treated it with respect, but the whole movie feels like an excuse to gay-bash, and then, to deliver a heartwarming life lesson at the end. I appreciate bringing bigotry to light, but the movie is far too crude, so the "heartwarming" parts always feel fake.

Adam Sandler and Kevin James work well together, but they don't have half the chemistry James and Will Smith had in Hitch. These two never feel like fully fleshed out characters, and neither actor really brings them to life. Sandler's character is especially hard to believe, and is one of my least favorite of his performances. Jessica Biel looks completely out of place, and might be the most unbelievable casting since Denise Richards as a genius scientist in The World is Not Enough. She's so hard to take seriously. Rob Schneider puts in his typical Sandler film small role. I thought he was absolutely awful, not funny in the least, and a shade racist (reminiscent of Mickey Rooney's terrible performance in Breakfast at Tiffany's). Dan Aykroyd is mostly a waste, but at least he maintains his dignity, unlike Ving Rhames who gives an embarrassing performance. Steve Buscemi is also hard to enjoy, as he's too over-the-top.

I appreciate that I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry tackles an issue like gay bashing and homophobia in America today. Hopefully some younger people will take a lesson or two away from this crude comedy. However, I felt like the whole movie was still just a poor excuse to make gay jokes galore. Nothing feels all that funny in this light. I appreciate the effort, however, it just feels too misguided to be a very good film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Hitch, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Waterboy, Big Daddy