There are enough funny moments throughout Chuck and Larry to save it from turning into the train wreck that its preview foreshadowed. That's not to say that the film is without flaw, oh there are groan inducing moments, especially towards the end, when the tone of the film attempts to become overly heartfelt.
A good dumb comedy is just that, good and dumb. When you start trying to haphazardly mix in a love story, a drama, and a character study, that's when you begin selling tickets to a two hour time waster.
Knocked Up and other top tier comedies have succeeded in blending humor with honest emotion. These upper echelon of films have the feel of real work being put into them. Their jokes and comedic moments are multi layered, with the prat falls and one liners dispersed throughout as well.
I now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is not anywhere near a top tier comedy, and the laughs in this film are mostly one liners and pratfalls, with a lackadaisical attitude towards anything with a more substantial payoff. Still, laughing will warm even the cynic's heart. When the film is not trying to have a message, or cuddle up to your "family is all we got" gene, it entertains.
When you have a premise as quirky as two straight men marrying each other for the insure benefits, you know the film is going to be played for the maximum amount of laughs. What you don't expect, or necessarily want, is for the film to jump back and forth between real life and ridiculous.
It becomes confusing and at times it seems as if two different versions of the same film have been edited together. There’s one version with crazy over the top laughs, and another with a more "after school special" vibe to it.
The film teeters on the edge of becoming generic, and it's definitely a major studio picture trying to have something for everyone. Although, when you're laughing enough even that's ok.
Onto the actual shenanigans. Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) and Larry Valentine (Kevin James) are manly New York Firefighters, and best buddies. Larry's a recent widower who worries that his family will become destitute if he's killed in the line of duty. Chuck is a single guy enjoying all the fun that comes with no attachments and a playboy lifestyle.
Larry's worst fears are realized when he finds out he won't be able to have his kids be the beneficiaries of his life insurance policy. Well, there's only one thing left to do, sign some papers saying your best friend Chuck is your man mate (or life mate... Whatever... Calm down)
Needless to say hijinks ensue. There's the pragmatic and infinitely irritating inspector Clinton Fitzer (Steve Buscemi) who is sent to watch them together in their home. Jessica Biel plays the hottest lawyer on Earth, Alex McDonough, who somehow believes they are actually gay. It's her job to keep them away from the criminal charges that the bosom buddies would surely face if their fraudulent relationship was found out.
The men become a huge news story in the city, and while they fake their way through the manunion, they begin to deal with many of the problems and discrimination that homosexuals go through on a regular basis. They become heroes to the gay community, and learn a little something about people in general. Awwww, that's sweet… Ugh.
When not being sweet, the film surprises you with a decent array of jokes and guest appearances. Sandler films always have their fair share of cameos, but these gimmicks actually work in this film, as opposed to some of the earlier Sandler stinkers (Little Nicky). I'll keep the spoilers to a minimum, since this is the type of film you see once, laugh fairly hard throughout, and then never watch again. To spoil any of the non trailer jokes is to ruin the fun altogether.
The pairing of Adam Sandler and Kevin James was a good move, and they do work well with one another, forming quite a comedic team. At times the pair riffs off of each other well enough to make you think they've ad libbed half of their dialogue.
Still the film leaves you wanting more; after all it has very talented people involved in its making. Jessica Biel is a gorgeous actress with actual talent, Adam Sandler has been in classic goofball comedies, and has good range evidenced by "Punch Drunk Love", Kevin James is a talented comedic actor whose TV show "King of Queens" has a legion of fans, director Dennis Dugan has helped create the funnier Sandler vehicle "Happy Gilmore". Not to mention Alexander Payne who also wrote "Sideways", "About Schmidt", and "Election". These are talented people that made an above average movie, and that's ok... not great, just ok.
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