Overrated and overhyped

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" is not likely to make anybody's list of top ten movies, but neither is it a candidate for the worst movie of the year, as Peter Sobczynski claims in his review. No movie featuring Jessica Biel in an extended scene wearing only a skimpy lingerie ensemble can be entirely bad. The premise is sound, a fish out of water story about two homophobic guys who pretend to be gay and learn to understand and respect gays. The premise is similar to "Tootsie," although the execution is not as strong. Sandler is poorly self-cast as a Lothario who learns to love, while James plays a heartbroken single father who is unable to move on after the death of his wife. The structure is also reasonably strong. The McGuffin is a bit weak, but once the story begins, the two learn that being gay is not simply enacting a lot of stereotypical clichés, but also involves contending with a lot of prejudices and discrimination. They also learn that many of their acquaintances are homosexuals who do not fit their preconceived stereotypes. And they progress from being embarrassed by their charade to becoming vocal and active proponents of gay rights. The film offers solid performances in unexpected roles by Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, Richard Chamberlain and others. Production values are more than adequate. The major flaw is in the writing, which limits the caliber of some of the performances. On one hand, the writing is hackneyed, derivative, obvious and in your face with scenes and situations that lack originality. On the other hand, it lacks focus, with scenes that don't propel the story, such as the justice of the peace played as a caricature of Japanese stereotypes. Sometimes this works, as with a character who has unexpected talents as a dancer, but at other times it seems to detract from the noble ambitions of the film with crude humor. One expects a homophobic character to make insulting remarks and jokes about gays, but that doesn't automatically carry license to also mock other groups. The characters have a series of encounters with homophobic associates, gays, closet homosexuals, gay rights activists and supportive individuals that serve as impetus for their maturation and acceptance of gays, but the encounters are presented so clumsily that they seem ineffective on either dramatic or a comedic grounds. The scenes and characters are also drawn very conservatively. Nobody is so homophobic as to seem vile, contemptible or despicable, so none of the characters has much room for growth and the attitude reversals that are seen don't seem entirely justified, based on the experiences seen by the audience. Sandler's character is particularly problematic. Sandler is a capable comedic actor who seems best suited to unjustly maligned Everyman roles. Most would probably consider him of better than average looks and physique; however, he's not likely to make anybody's list of hottest male actors. He plays a character with superhuman sexual prowess and effortless appeal to women, which comes off as more of a caricature of a womanizing playboy who belongs in a different film. Since his character is not believable, his emotional growth also seems unbelievable. There are bits that are humorous as isolated gags, although some are raunchy and politically incorrect, but they are integrated into a cohesive whole and distract from the central theme and throughline. The film's treatment of gays is a bit uneven. While a few characters are treated sympathetically as complex individuals, many are treated as stereotypes, particularly at a fundraiser party. The general message conveyed and learned is that gays are not as bad as you thought, but never suggests that gays are a positive force in society or that they make society stronger or that heterosexuals can learn something from them. Nothing balances out the jokes, jibes and caricatures. Parts of the film are subpar, but performances by Biel, Rhames and Aykroyd elevate it considerably.

Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) and Larry Valentine (Kevin James) are best friends and Brooklyn firefighters. Chuck is a womanizer. Larry is a widower still mourning his dead wife Paula. He is worried about his children's future. Because of convoluted bureaucratic problems, he needs to be married to change the beneficiary of his pension. When he saves Larry's life, he asks that they enter into a domestic partnership on paper only. Their plan runs into a problem when the department could be sending in an investigator. They consult with lawyer Alex McDonough (Jessica Biel) which could be a problem when Chuck falls for her. Chuck is forced to move in with Larry and his family. They must also keep the secret from everybody in case they also get charged for obstruction.This is really stupid and then they try to explain the premise. I'm not opposed to dumb humor. Many of my favorite comedies are ridiculously stupid. Kevin James has some funny moments but Adam Sandler's character angry side is problematic. The biggest problem with the beneficiary thing is that I don't really understand. Who knows if there is an easier way to get there but somebody should work really hard to find a way. They are somewhat funny pretending to be gay. Rob Schneider makes a horrible appearance as an Asian minister. This movie is at times funny, offensive, stupid, unbelievable, and unwatchable. The funny parts are too few and far between to save this movie.

Maybe I'm the very last one writing a review here, but was just laughing my ass off. I've had some crisis recently watching anything but Roland Emmerich movies, so i am prepared to suffer. That was the way I got over the first ten minutes when I expected something like "The heat", which i just finished watching to practice suffering. This film has the potential to even be the successor of my favorite gay movie "La Cage aux Folles". So unpretentious. Loving Steve Busceme and Dan Akroyd and even Adam Sandler. I'm just longing for entertainment right now and do not reflect any political intentions. The stereotypes make the fun!

I decide to give it a two instead of a 1 for a reason; it does intend to say, "Hey, it's not nice to attack gay people, let them marry." But the reason it didn't get a higher score was due to stereotypical stuff about gay people.I am pro-LGBT rights, i write blogs working on this subject and from what i know, this film makes gay people look too stereotypical. I am never a fan of Adam Sandler, but his character here is not helping this film. As for the "japanese chapel owner," all i can say is, "what is up with this?" They decided to instead of focusing on really showing Gay people as they are, they decided that we should make them look pitiful, unrealistic, and cringing.I don't know the makers of this film's true intent or what they really thought of LGBT people and civil rights, but i can do a better job of this and make it very funny as well and never come off as stereotypical or bad.I would suggest to anyone that want to see LGBT people are who they truly are, i suggest films like "Shelter" "Beautiful thing" and "Just a question of love" because they portray gay people in a realistic light. This film "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry" pretty much just screams, "Hey, leave them gays alone, it's not their fault they're fruits!" I'm sorry but if you want to show support for civil rights, even in comedy taste, you're going to have to do better than this. Way better than this.