I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)
Director: Dennis Dugan
Synopsis
Firemen Chuck and Larry are best friends willing to do anything for each other, so much so that when civic red tape prevents Larry from naming his own two kids as his life insurance beneficiaries, Chuck agrees to bend the rules and pretend to be his domestic partner on some city forms. But when a local bureaucrat becomes suspicious, the new couple’s arrangement turn into a citywide issue. Forced to improvise as love-struck newlyweds, Chuck and Larry must pretend to be living a life of domestic bliss under the same roof.
Movie review
From Time Out London
New York firefighter Chuck (Adam Sandler) agrees to enter into a civil partnership with his widowed crewmate Larry (Kevin James) so the latter can ensure his benefits are passed on to his children. It’s a set-up as muddled as the sexual politics of this mortifying would-be comedy, in which homosexuality is equated with femininity, femininity with breasts and virtue with a mean right hook. There are also lame fat gags and a comedy Japanese man of the sort that you thought had gone out with ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.
Facing a ‘Green Card’-style state investigation of their relationship (cue smokin’ hot lawyer Jessica Biel), Chuck and Larry become a cause célèbre in the supposed name of gay rights, fighting to win over their colleagues and the system. There are one or two neat ribbings of homophobia, including a shower-room soap-dropping scene filmed like ‘Jaws’, but given the mincing, minstrelised characterisations, you’d be excused for thinking no one involved in this had ever actually met a real, live homo.
The film is actually a paean to male friendship with a severe case of gay panic: its leads can declare their love for one another but the thought of a kiss inspires revulsion. (There’s less man-on-man action here than in ‘Philadelphia’.) That said, the lengths to which the picture goes to establish Chuck’s world-beating red-bloodedness – if he’s not fielding hundredweights of porn, he’s fighting off nympho twins – smacks of nothing so much as the closet.
Author: Ben Walters
Time Out London Issue 1935: September 19-25
User reviews of this film
-
- phoenix said...
- Posted on May 06 2008 22:42 the las vegas person who did the ceramonies is that the guy outta deuce bigalow???
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Gemma said...
- Posted on Oct 22 2007 21:30 HAHA THIS FILMM WAS SIKKKKK BOII
- Report as inappropriate
-
- BONBON said...
- Posted on Oct 21 2007 17:58 What an amazing boring gay film I wish all gay films was this great woo wee wah wah
- Report as inappropriate
-
- amy said...
- Posted on Oct 21 2007 11:30 Everyone seems to have enjoyed it, but the ratng is two stars, but some idiots forgot to put a star rating! So I'll help get the rating up
- Report as inappropriate
-
- andrew said...
- Posted on Oct 18 2007 13:49 BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR A MUST SEE COMEDY YOU WILL BE IN STICHES
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Tina said...
- Posted on Oct 15 2007 13:27 Entertaining enough, i enjoyed it right up until the courtroom scene near the end, and then the film lost whatever trace of credibility it had left. However, overall it is an enjoyable enough comedy.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Joel said...
- Posted on Oct 13 2007 20:28 This film is very funny and Adam Sandler is back on top form! The story line may be abit to hard to beileve but overall it is very good and I will happily watch it again. in fact I am.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Leasha said...
- Posted on Oct 13 2007 17:11 this film kicks ass!! Another major accomplishment by Adam Sandler, which scrutanises all homophobes! Bravo lads, bravo!!!!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- aaron said...
- Posted on Oct 12 2007 18:29 i haven't seen it yet but watching the trailer it look wicked ,going to see it in a couple of hours, another classic adam sandler film, i also reckon no one could of made a better partner than kevin james he's mint also
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Frazer Lake said...
- Posted on Oct 12 2007 17:28 I love this film it is great absolutely amazing actors couldnt stop laughing lol . A MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- mike said...
- Posted on Oct 12 2007 11:09 this film rocks same on any 1 who thinks its lame. lol
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Carl said...
- Posted on Oct 11 2007 10:24 a great film really really funny had me in stiches it is a amazing one of the beat films this years
- Report as inappropriate
-
- rach said...
- Posted on Oct 10 2007 18:44 Brilliant !A true comedy with enjoyable twists through out. True friendship and total Comedy
- Report as inappropriate
-
- george down said...
- Posted on Oct 08 2007 11:31 hilarity act
- Report as inappropriate
-
- lauren s said...
- Posted on Oct 06 2007 15:55 i avent seen it yet but who ever puts they avent seen it why put a revue..?
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Buscemi, Nicholas Turturro, Richard Chamberlain full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Rated: 12A
Duration: 110 mins
UK Release: Sep 21 2007
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Michael Jackson's This Is It: review
Kenny Ortega's posthumous concert film is a rousing eulogy for one of pop's great enigmas
Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace
From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'
Danish director Lone Scherfig was an unlikely choice for a very English affair like 'An Education'. Cath Clarke meets her
How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life
Time Out gets Romantic with the ‘difficult’ New Zealander about her new film, 'Bright Star'
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations













What do you think?
Post your review now