I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This is the perfect example of a daft Hollywood movie and how to make women look like they have no brain cells...

Adam Sandler hit a winning formula for his movies which has garnered him a loyal fan base. He might be a proud Jew and Republican but he has Arabs, Muslims, Catholics, Hispanics, Blacks, Democrats (but probably not people from the Far East) who all seem to like his films where he plays the alpha male, one of the boys, sometimes with temperament issues, other times a little bit goofy who gets the girl and plenty of 1980s soundtracks.In I Pronounce You Chuck & Larry Kevin James is a widowed NYC Firefighter Larry worried about his kids future if he was to get killed in his job. Apparently he is unable to change his late wife's name to his kids names in his life insurance policy.In order to take advantage of a loophole he gets his fellow friend and firefighter Chuck (Adam Sandler) to post as gay partners so he can get his kids a pension. Chuck agrees as he owes him a huge favour for saving his life.The problem is that Chuck is a womaniser and their plan comes under suspicion so they hire a lawyer (Jessica Biel) who tells them to get married which they do and then face discrimination from people at work and others who disagree with gay marriage. Of course Chuck falls for the lawyer which results in more complications.The film was co-written by Alexander Payne who has two Oscars for best screenplays. I guess its because of his contribution the film is not a total dud as sometimes you feel like the duo's disbelieving boss played by Dan Aykroyd.Sandler is astute enough not to kiss Larry in the mouth and not to make an anti gay film. In fact despite poking fun at stereotypes and the bit about not being able to change the beneficiary being nonsense, the film actually makes a shrewd shout for gay equality and respect. The film is bit low brow in places and some of the humour is a bit hit and miss but Sandler manages to keep his fan base happy with his usual entourage of friends making cameo appearances but do we really need Rob Schneider doing a Mickey Rooney impression?

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" is not likely to make anybody's list of top ten movies, but neither is it a candidate for the worst movie of the year, as Peter Sobczynski claims in his review. No movie featuring Jessica Biel in an extended scene wearing only a skimpy lingerie ensemble can be entirely bad. The premise is sound, a fish out of water story about two homophobic guys who pretend to be gay and learn to understand and respect gays. The premise is similar to "Tootsie," although the execution is not as strong. Sandler is poorly self-cast as a Lothario who learns to love, while James plays a heartbroken single father who is unable to move on after the death of his wife. The structure is also reasonably strong. The McGuffin is a bit weak, but once the story begins, the two learn that being gay is not simply enacting a lot of stereotypical clichés, but also involves contending with a lot of prejudices and discrimination. They also learn that many of their acquaintances are homosexuals who do not fit their preconceived stereotypes. And they progress from being embarrassed by their charade to becoming vocal and active proponents of gay rights. The film offers solid performances in unexpected roles by Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, Richard Chamberlain and others. Production values are more than adequate. The major flaw is in the writing, which limits the caliber of some of the performances. On one hand, the writing is hackneyed, derivative, obvious and in your face with scenes and situations that lack originality. On the other hand, it lacks focus, with scenes that don't propel the story, such as the justice of the peace played as a caricature of Japanese stereotypes. Sometimes this works, as with a character who has unexpected talents as a dancer, but at other times it seems to detract from the noble ambitions of the film with crude humor. One expects a homophobic character to make insulting remarks and jokes about gays, but that doesn't automatically carry license to also mock other groups. The characters have a series of encounters with homophobic associates, gays, closet homosexuals, gay rights activists and supportive individuals that serve as impetus for their maturation and acceptance of gays, but the encounters are presented so clumsily that they seem ineffective on either dramatic or a comedic grounds. The scenes and characters are also drawn very conservatively. Nobody is so homophobic as to seem vile, contemptible or despicable, so none of the characters has much room for growth and the attitude reversals that are seen don't seem entirely justified, based on the experiences seen by the audience. Sandler's character is particularly problematic. Sandler is a capable comedic actor who seems best suited to unjustly maligned Everyman roles. Most would probably consider him of better than average looks and physique; however, he's not likely to make anybody's list of hottest male actors. He plays a character with superhuman sexual prowess and effortless appeal to women, which comes off as more of a caricature of a womanizing playboy who belongs in a different film. Since his character is not believable, his emotional growth also seems unbelievable. There are bits that are humorous as isolated gags, although some are raunchy and politically incorrect, but they are integrated into a cohesive whole and distract from the central theme and throughline. The film's treatment of gays is a bit uneven. While a few characters are treated sympathetically as complex individuals, many are treated as stereotypes, particularly at a fundraiser party. The general message conveyed and learned is that gays are not as bad as you thought, but never suggests that gays are a positive force in society or that they make society stronger or that heterosexuals can learn something from them. Nothing balances out the jokes, jibes and caricatures. Parts of the film are subpar, but performances by Biel, Rhames and Aykroyd elevate it considerably.

I do love most of Adam's films but this one is by far the worst Adam Sandler movie i have ever seen. The comedy was bad the story line was demeaning to the homosexual community.Adam needs to stop accepting to be in these kind of comedy films they are vary horrible movies they have never been that funny and should not be made . I think Adam Sandler had played in some really good movies but this one is defiantly not one of those movies. I think Adam should start trying to get into my serious acting. I am not trying to hate on comedy films i think some of them are vary vary funny and fun to watch. In conclusion i think Adam has done some vary good work but this movie defiantly not in the top 5 Adam Sandler Movies.