“I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY”–love?

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”

Love?

Amos Lassen

Freshly out on DVD is “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” and as I prepared to watch it I did not know what to expect. I had read the reviews when it opened in movie houses and they were not too good but I must say that Adam Sander is a magician of a comic.

The story is simple enough. Two Brooklyn firefighters who have been friends for what seems like forever want to make sure that their jobs are secure. Larry (Kevin James) is a single father trying to raise two kids by himself and Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) is a playboy who finds a new girl every night. Larry tries to change his beneficiary to his children since his late wife now ineligible but he finds that it is a long drawn-out process. He wants to make sure that his kids are provided for because he knows his job is dangerous. He manages to find a loophole in the process and thereby asks Chuck to become his domestic partner. It is up to their attorney (Jessica Biel) who believes they are gay to save them from criminal prosecution (their relationship is questioned). They have kept their relationship a secret but it eventually sees the light of day and everyone they knows starts treating them differently. The see, firsthand, the discrimination that gay people face.

I have not laughed this much in a long time. What starts out as lame humor turns into a heart warming comedy dealing with issues of friendship and love. Adam Sandler has always been good with gay jokes and he surpasses himself in this movie. Sure the movie is loaded with stereotypes and some of the jokes are old and the plot is predictable but it is still very funny. Politically correct it is not, funny it is.

Jessica Biel actually owns this film. Some of the best lines belong to her. She is the surprise of the film. Quite honestly, I was not at all sure I wanted to see this movie but looking back, I am sure glad I did.