I now pronounce “INow Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” to be just as bad as most Adam Sandler movies. It features the dumb and over-the-top humor of sexism, racism, size-ism, especially homophobia, and — oh, the humanity! — that vile Sandler perennial otherwise known as Rob Schneider.
The story concerns two best friend Brooklyn firemen, the womanizing Chuck (Sandler) and the widower/single father Larry (Kevin James). They pretend to be gay life partners so that Larry can secure future domestic-partner pension benefits out of an unsympathetic city bureaucracy.
Hilarity is meant to ensue.
But even as the screenplay wields the lazy sight gags and cringe-inducing tastelessness that usually plague the star’s lowest-common-denominator big-screen comedies, it doesn’t even have the courage of its obsolete brand of straight white man “wit.” Instead of proudly embracing its nasty political incorrectness and trying to be a little edgy, the hypocritical “Chuck” tries to have it both ways.
The picture mocks the stereotypical effeminacy and bedroom proclivities of homosexuality for the bulk of its gags. But then the filmmakers try to inoculate themselves from condemnation by showing “growth” in the characters, who will magically learn to become sympathetic to the minority group by the repulsively schmaltzy finish. And they cast famously open members of the gay community in cameos to give their tacit endorsement to the proceedings.
They needn’t have bothered.
Because offensive or not, with the exception of two or three bits, the movie isn’t funny. The flatulence jokes, macho swagger and Schneider’s offensive turn as an Asian justice of the peace — among other things — overwhelm any chance for the plot to find the drollery that might come out of the situation’s natural absurdity.
What might really happen if two macho buddies had to pretend to be gay?
You won’t find out here.
‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry’
1/5 stars
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel
Director: Dennis Dugan
Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content throughout, nudity, language and drug references
