Unseen Movie Review: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

By Robert Dixter Jul 15, 2007, 9:23 GMT

Adam Sandler (Click) and Kevin James (Hitch) team as two straight guys who stumble down the aisle with the best of intentions in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.  Chuck Levine (Sandler) and Larry Valentine (James) are the pride of their fire station: two guy’s guys always side-by-side and willing to do anything for each other.  Salt-of-the-earth widower Larry wants just one thing: to protect his family.  His buddy ...more

Before we get started I think a little venting is in order. I saw ‘Transformers’ last week and after looking back on a lifetime of film viewing I have decided this was the dumbest movie I have ever seen and I’ve seen ‘Police Academy 4.’

Ok, now on to brighter things.

There are a few things you can count on in this world. George Bush will always surprise you. Just when you think he cannot get any dumber, he’ll pardon Scooter Libby. Chicks will always dig guys on motorcycles or mopeds. Adam Sandler will release a summer comedy with a silly premise. The weird thing about this last idea is that not only will The Sandman release a summer movie, it will always be a hit.

Sandler usually grabs a pretty dopey idea and runs with it in the same way P. Diddy ran the New York marathon with a mohawk. Whether it’s about a grown man going back to high school, a hockey player playing golf, discovering a remote control that runs his real life or his latest feature ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry’ about two guys pretending to be gay but then one of them falls in love with a woman. 

The thing I don’t understand about Sandler is that he himself is not very funny. He’s an extremely likable guy and always portrays the kind of guy you would want to hang out with but he’s never very funny in his own movies.  Most of the comedy comes from the chaos happening around him (or from Schneider yelling “You Can Do It”, Jesus Rob get a job). 

Yet all of his summer release comedies gross over $100 million. He’s never really acting in the films either and always plays the same character, but still people flock to see him. 

He’s the likable college guy that never grew up but is somehow successful. He’s the guy all married men wish they still were. He’s the sensitive guy who never has ulterior motives so women think he’s safe. But he’s never really fall down funny.

He’s like your uncle Morty with excessive hair coming out of his ears but his humor never really translates outside of your own family.

Sandler is smart enough to usually load his films with talented supporting players like Chris Walken, Steve Buscemi and now Kevin James and Jessica Biel.  Most of the humor in his films comes from his supporting players and their reactions to Sandler’s wacky predicament. Like remember how funny we all thought Lindsay Lohan’s latest car accident was?

The big question is how long will he be able to pull off this type of movie?  He’s done very well for himself playing the same guy over and over again. And not to fault him since he has been branching out and trying new things with films like ‘Reign Over Me’ and ‘Punch Drunk Love.’

But at what point will Sandler be too old to pull off silly comedies with bad jokes and so called high concepts?  How much longer will teen boys look up to him as one of their own?  Adam is married now with a kid of his own and you know that at some point that’s going to affect his movie decisions.  He might try to class it up a bit or make something with a bit more value to it.

In a time where the Judd Apatow movies are the latest rage and people are flocking to R rated comedies like Wedding Crashers, will Sandler’s PG13 doofus films be able to survive?

Movie opens wide USA July 20.

Visit our Chuck and Larry Competition here.