Ok, so the entire title is “I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry,” but that was too long for a thread title.
I have to say, this has been a pretty good summer for movies. Lots of good stuff in the theaters with Transformers, Die Hard, the upcoming Bourne movie, etc, etc. In the middle of all that, you drop the latest Adam Sandler vehicle, and for me, it didn’t disappoint. If you’ve seen the trailer or commercials, you already know the plot. Larry (Kevin James) and Chuck (Adam Sandler) are firefighters and partners in New York City. Larry is a widower and Chuck is a serial womanizer, and after Larry saves Chuck’s life, Chuck promises to repay him however he can. When Larry discovers that he can’t transfer his NYFD pension from his dead wife’s name to his children, he decides to ask Chuck to enter into a domestic partnership, so that if Larry dies, Chuck can take care of the kids. Hilarity ensues. Steve Buscemi plays the creepy investigator who is challenging the domestic partnership. Jessica Biel plays the gorgeous attorney who is defending the firefighters in their legal case, as Chuck falls in love with her, challenging his committment to the scam, and his friend. There are also cameos played by all the normal Sandler extras, plus Dan Akroyd, Ving Rhames, Rachel Dratch, Rob Schneider and even Richard Chamberlain.
There’s nothing entirely new here, and if you are particularly sensitive to jokes about or parodies of the homosexual lifestyle, you should stay away. However, if that doesn’t bother you, and you like Adam Sandler, but want a slightly less juvenile (only slightly) sense of humor, then you will laugh out loud at many parts of this movie. I laughed more at this than any movie I’ve seen in the theater this summer. Lots of gay jokes, marriage jokes, fireman jokes, etc, etc. Unlike other Sandler vehicles, like Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison, this movie tries to teach a couple lessons about friendship and tolerance, all while making fun of gays and straights alike. Sandler and James work really well together as a comedy duo, and I’d imagine this won’t be their last movie together. All in all, if you have the time and inclination for a silly movie, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” is a good choice.
