I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

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Generally speaking, if you write a movie that requires you to scream the take-home message from the top of a mountain in the final 10 minutes, you probably haven’t done that message justice in the preceding hour and a half. So when Captain Tucker (Dan Aykroyd) bellows a message of acceptance and tolerance towards homosexuals in the closing moments of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, you can’t help but feel that it’s a desperate overcompensation for the movie’s lack of direction.
    The movie is about Chuck (Adam Sandler) and Larry (Kevin James), two New York firefighters who drive up to Canada to get married so that Larry’s pension will be safe should something happen to him. When an investigation into their marriage begins, they enlist the help of Alex McDonough (Jessica Biel) to help them prove that it’s legit.
    As expected, the movie is a barrage of gay jokes, but they don’t come across as loving jabs — they’re more like slaps in the face. It would seem that the point of Chuck and Larry is to advocate acceptance, but few films in recent history have relied more heavily on gay stereotypes and offensive, outdated jokes. Every gay character in the film is flamboyant and feminine, and almost every straight character is homophobic.
    Even though it probably should be, Chuck and Larry isn’t a total write-off. There are some legitimately funny moments in the film, especially the banter between Sandler and James in the opening scenes, before the plot really kicks in. A funny supporting cast, led by Steve Buscemi as the investigator trying to prove that their marriage is a ruse, also turn in great performances.
    Acting isn’t the problem in this film, as the entire cast’s comedic timing is perfect, and surprise appearances by everyone from David Spade to Dave Matthews are a lot of fun. The problem is that the film pretends to be about acceptance — and not only for straight people towards gays, but about gays accepting themselves as well. If anything, Chuck and Larry provides a rallying cry for the homophobic by portraying gays as insufferable pixies. That’s probably why the writers thought it necessary for Aykroyd to stand up at the end of the film and explain the point, but by then it’s far too late.