I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Dennis Dugan

Writers (WGA):

Barry Fanaro (screenplay) and
Alexander Payne (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 July 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

They're as straight as can be, but don't tell anyone.

Plot:

Two straight, single Brooklyn firefighters pretend to be a gay couple in order to receive domestic partner benefits. |

Plot Keywords:

Gay Couple | Gay | Firefighter | Homosexuality | Shower Scene

Awards:

13 nominations

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	Chuck Levine
Kevin James	...	Larry Valentine
Jessica Biel	...	Alex McDonough
Dan Aykroyd	...	Captain Tucker
Ving Rhames	...	Duncan
Steve Buscemi	...	Clint Fitzer
Nicholas Turturro	...	Renaldo Pinera
Allen Covert	...	Steve
Rachel Dratch	...	Benefits Supervisor
Richard Chamberlain	...	Councilman Banks
Nick Swardson	...	Kevin McDonough
Blake Clark	...	Crazy Homeless Man
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Teresa
Matt Winston	...	Glen Aldrich
Lance Bass	...	Band Leader

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content throughout, nudity, language and drug references. (re-rated; originally rated R)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | France:U | UK:12A | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:Btl | Finland:K-7 | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | Malaysia:18PL | Taiwan:PG-12 | Philippines:R-13 | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) (certificate #43579) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Iceland:12 | Iceland:L (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

David Dobkin was originally set to direct.

Goofs:

Continuity: When first introduced to Ving Rhames' character, he is shown to have a very dirty front piece on his helmet, despite having just transfered to the house that day. Considering the front piece he has on is for his new firehouse, it shouldn't be dirty.

Quotes:

Larry Valentine: Domestic partnership.
Chuck Levine: Domestic partnership? You mean like faggots?
Larry Valentine: No, I mean yea but, no, not us. Obviously. Just on paper.
Chuck Levine: Paper faggots?
Larry Valentine: Well, the accepted vernacular is gay... but yes.

Movie Connections:

References Meet the Parents (2000)

Soundtrack:

Freedom '90

Another instance of critics missing the point

Gay jokes have always been staple of Adam Sandler comedies. It goes with Sandler's juvenile, boyish sense of humor. As far back as his "Saturday Night Live" days, Sandler has been serving up gay jokes left and right. It was only a matter of time until Sandler decided to extend his love of gay humor to feature length. What's surprising is how well I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry actually works. I've often said the best movies are the ones that have a point for existence. When millions are being spent, there should be a reason. Most of Sandler's pictures have had a message, however small they be. Billy Madison made it clear to its young audience to stay in school. Click made it painfully obvious that family is important. Now 'Chuck and Larry' comes with a message about tolerance and acceptance. I wasn't going to write a comment about 'Chuck and Larry', but after reading the critics' extremely venomous reaction to the flick, I think that they miss the point. Many have labeled it hypocritical for wanting to laugh at gays while standing up for them. Honestly I think the critics who say that had their minds made up about the film before they viewed it. The characters making homophobic remarks and jokes are seen as ignorant and unaware. True, there are stereotypes present, though most of them are stereotypes that the characters believe to be true. I found Brokeback Mountain to have just as many if not more stereotypes than are present here yet that was intended to be a serious drama.

80% of the jokes in 'Chuck & Larry' work the ones that don't are simply due to pacing. There's about ten more minutes of fat that could have been sucked out of the running time. Luckily, it's nowhere as dreadfully long as the Knocked Up was. However, I do wish that the film shared Knocked Up's R-rating (trims were made to make this a PG-13). There are times when the editing is extremely obvious and distracting, which took me out of the scene at times. Here's hoping for the original cut to be released on DVD. Somehow I doubt that it will. As satisfying as 'Chuck & Larry' is, seeing it as intended would be more fulfilling.

7/10