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I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Reviewed by Theo Michelfeld
Posted: July 23, 2007

There’s nothing quite so satisfying as a comedy with a social message, unless of course the jokes aren’t funny, and the social message is continually hedged by gutless screenwriting. Case in point: the new film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. I suppose the makers of this movie can be commended for at least trying to deliver a simultaneously offensive and progressive comedy. On the other hand, if execution counts for anything, this project fails its own duality on either front. Turns out Chuck and Larry is neither an obstacle, nor a step forward, along humanity’s journey toward enlightenment. When all is said and done, it’s merely a cultural cul de sac, into which the would-be zeitgeist might briefly wander before stumbling out again in search of genuine laughs and relevance.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry stars Adam Sandler as Chuck, a New York City fireman who, like so many straight and single men I know, has late-night orgies with teams of models clad in identical garter belts, and also gets giant boxes of porn and sex toys mail-ordered to his house. The film also stars Kevin James as Larry, a widower who dearly loves his flamboyantly gay pre-teen son, but can nevertheless feel secure about his own masculinity, because he drinks Budweiser out of the bottle, watches the Mets on TV, and is so helpless in the kitchen he must prepare “hot dog salad” to feed his family.

As the movie unfolds, Chuck and Larry scheme to defraud the government out of insurance benefits by posing as domestic partners. When an investigation ensues, and their authenticity as a couple is called into question, they must take increasingly drastic measures to become ostensibly gay. In time they find themselves ostracized by bigots, and that, they come to learn, can be frustrating …especially when they’re so flamingly straight. Making matters even more challenging, Chuck falls for the female lawyer he’s hired to unwittingly abet his crime; she instantly wins over her scoundrel client, apparently by virtue of her non-interchangeability with all the porn stars and Hooters waitresses who have preceded her into his consciousness.

Most of the gags in this film involve the heterosexual heroes declaring their ravenousness for “dudes,” “balls,” and “wieners,” etc. while we, the audience, know they’re actually ga-ga for “boobs” and “chicks” and such. Whether or not this dialogue is more incisive than a wooden spoon, or less so, will have to be the judgment of each individual viewer. But certainly anyone capable of analytical thinking will be tempted to wonder just whose honor Adam Sandler is upholding every time he punches another nameless intolerant villain for calling him a “faggot.”

Adam Sandler is a good actor and a funny guy who seems plagued by his own compulsion to remain underestimated. This film, if it were better written, might have been perfect for him, because he is so consistently effective at delivering the casually righteous line of dialogue. But Chuck and Larry, although occasionally mildly funny, is a clumsy plea for tolerance. The writers seem to think name-calling is a gay person’s primary obstacle to societal acceptance. Yes, these characters do at times feel the sting of exclusion, and come to think of it, those are the film’s handful of insightful moments. But unfortunately, the writers mostly tackle the symptoms of homophobia, while they mostly ignore that affliction’s actual causes, for instance the literal interpretation by the faithful of a few cherry-picked bible passages, and the simple fact that notions of gay sex give a lot of straight people the heebie-jeebies.

It all bulldozes forth as a well-meaning failure, until the climactic courtroom scene, in which Chuck and Larry are badgered into a public smooch. As the two pucker up for their big “Brokeback” moment, their boss, the fire chief, suddenly appears and calls an end to the entire ruse. You see, it seems he would rather let Chuck and Larry go to jail, not to mention get himself locked up as a co-conspirator, than see these guys “man up” for a second, and put their mouths where their money is. Never mind that jail is exactly the place to come to terms with such inconceivabilities. It’s a total copout ending, designed to spare the audience, and the actors, from facing the behavior that presumably the movie has defended all along.

So in the end, everyone’s heebie-jeebies are happily accommodated, a conclusion that could only betray the film more if God himself were brought in to affirm for the hateful that these characters are courting sin. Here is a film that bobbles its moment of truth out of sheer terror, and in doing so, exposes all the preceding stereotyping and bawdiness for the overcompensation it is. It’s an awful lot of effort just to say a simple thing, but I’m sure the filmmakers will be grateful to learn: Their message is loud and clear. They are straight, but cool with gays. And way more the first thing than the second.

Copyright © 2007 Theo Michelfeld