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REVIEW by Katelyn:
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" as you may
have guessed through the title and the use of two unmistakably
manly names is centered around the marriage of two males
Chuck (Adam Sandler) and Larry (Kevin James) - the problem:
they aren't homosexual!
Chuck and Larry are two Brooklyn fire fighters in very
different positions of their lives. Adam Sandler (Chuck)
plays a hot shot that has women swarming around him at his
beck and call, a role similar to many of his past movies
(that his production company controls). Meanwhile, Kevin
James (Larry) is a widower with two children. The problem
arises when Larry realizes, since the passing of his wife,
he doesn't have a secure beneficiary which is crucial in
his dangerous line of work.
Unfortunately for Larry there is an absurd law in effect
that won't allow him to sign over that position as easily
as one might expect. Larry is given only two solutions:
1) Risk dying on the job and in turn leaving his children
nothing or 2) Get married thus declaring his new spouse
the beneficiary. Neither of these ideas are ideal for Larry,
but his mind changes during a routine fire gone awry.
The two characters are working together in an unstable
building when Chuck takes a life threatening tumble. The
only thing dividing Chuck from life and death is his good
friend Larry who cushions the fall. Both characters endure
significant injuries and are rushed to the hospital. Thankful
to be alive, Chuck promises Larry that he is forever in
his debt and that he will be by his side no matter what
favor is needed.
Chuck was unaware at the time that he would indeed stand
by Larry's side… at the altar! Larry convinces Chuck to
become his beneficiary through marriage and the whirlwind
of stereotypical homosexual references like Barry Manilow
CD's, Wham!, soap dropping in the shower, KY, etc. begins.
The fake marriage is running smoothly until an inspector
begins to investigate the legitimacy of the pair's relationship.
The zealous fraud inspector, Clint (Steve Buscemi), takes
it upon himself to go above and beyond the call of duty.
Clint's investigation involves searching through their garbage
for typical "gay" material, visiting the home
unannounced and compiling his evidence. Eventually Clint
brings them to court. Unfortunately for Steve the only mildly
entertaining part about his character is his fanny pack,
but even that charm fades fast.
Before the couple is brought to court they enlist the help
of attorney Alex McDonough (Jessica Biel). Alex ends up
befriending the two, which becomes a shaky issue for the
once ladies man Chuck. In one scene Alex asks Chuck to cop
a feel in order to prove her breasts aren't fake- which
I'm pretty sure is only a normal practice between hetero
and homosexual friends on a little show called Will and
Grace. Alex and Chuck bond instantly causing the inevitable:
Chuck changes his sleazy ways of the past and questions
whether he morally feels right about lying to Alex.
Meanwhile, Alex acts the role of the naïve woman,
clueless of the actual circumstances, who later feels duped
when discovering the truth. Eventually after the dust has
settled, she will forgive her male counterpart (please refer
to: She's All That, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 10 Things
I Hate About You, etc).
The film ends with the trial where both Larry and Chuck
try to convince the public that they indeed are gay. Their
chief (Dan Aykroyd) finally "ins" the couple,
but tries to make a compelling argument that their actions
have benefited both the homosexual and heterosexual community
and therefore the case should be dropped.
Overall, the movie is definitely a feel-good summer movie.
Kevin James and Adam Sandler's on-screen relationship brings
the movie alive giving audiences a good laugh. The movie
also highlights the injustices that the homosexual community
faces in America, but I'm still trying to figure out if
a movie that only touches upon gay stereotypes is one of
those injustices or if it's so over the top that it's not
offensive.
This movie I think can be added to my list of great date
movies. So even though it was a little predictable it still
had me laughing…. the date that is!
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