I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU
CHUCK AND LARRY

"You may kiss the husband"

When widower fire fighter Larry Valentine (James) realises he hasn't signed his pension benefits over to his children his only option is to get married. The thought of anyone replacing his departed wife however is unthinkable but there is a loophole, the same benefits can be passed on to a same sex life partner. After saving his best friend Chuck's (Sandler) life, Chuck pledges that he will do anything to make it up to him but when Larry asks him to marry him, the friendship might have become a little stretched.

When you think of a film star that you would chose to champion gay rights and relationships, Adam Sandler's name definitely wouldn't come to mind but can he succeed were so many have failed?

Teaming up with one of TV's biggest stars Kevin James, Adam Sandler brings us a comedy that looks at the power of friendship and the current levels of tolerance two homosexuals in New York and the US in general but instead of raising awareness of some issues or even creating some real laugh out loud moments, the film just falls into cliché after cliché.

When the system lets down widower Larry Valentine, he is forced to either remarry or find a same sex life partner so that his children will be financially taken care of if he was involved in a fatal call doing his job as a New York fire fighter. Instead of finding a new wife however he asks his best friend and firehouse lothario Chuck to pose as his gay partner. Of course in typical Adam Sandler style this opens up a who barrel of gay jokes and jibes with the message about gay rights and equality becoming lost under the A-Story of doing anything for a friend.

Adam Sandler and Kevin Smith make a fine couple however. Here are two genuine friends that fire off each other quiet successfully but it is the cliché filled script and the complete lack of imagination that lets them both down. The supporting cast is also good with Steve Buscemi having fun as an overly efficient state inspector, Jessica Biel looking as sexy as ever as Chuck and Larry's extremely attractive lawyer Alex and Ving Rhames makes fun of his own onscreen persona as fellow fire fighter Fred Duncan. Dan Aykroyd is seriously underused as Captain Phineas J. Tucker but Rob Schneider makes a welcome cameo, along with a few other Sandler favourites.

'I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry' starts off trying to make a movie about acceptance and friendship but just ends up completely missing the bouquet. The gay storyline is just used to provide cheap laughs and stereotypical set pieces, so much so that you will end up cringing more than you do laughing. Totally divorced from any real audience other than Sandler fans, the movie is a let down, especially considering the level of talent on show.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted Scenes (9.44 mins)
These seven deleted scenes have optional commentary from director Dennis Dugan and show Chuck and Larry finding a witness of their wedding, a pizza delivery girl, entering the gay club, trouble in the bathroom, Chuck's parents and secondary search that goes extremely wrong.

Laughing is Contagious (6.40 mins)
Adam Sandler and Kevin James talk you through the outtakes and the behind the scenes high jinx that happened during production.

I now pronounce you husband and… husband (5.12 mins)
Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Jessica Biel and Dan Aykroyd take you behind the scenes of the making of the movie and reveal what it was like working as fire fighters.

Look Who Stopped By… (6.35 mins)
Adam Sandler and Kevin James introduce you to the cameos in the movie with contributions from Blake Clark, Allen Covet, Dave Matthews, David Spade, Dan Patrick, Richard Chamberlain and Rob Schneider.

Stop, Drop and Roll (5.25 mins)
Director Dennis Dugan, stunt coordinator Doug Coleman and stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James take you through the stunt sequences of the movie.

Dugan: The hands on director (5.35 mins)
Director Dennis Dugan and stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James take you behind the scenes of the director's cameo.

Feature Commentary with director Dennis Dugan, Adam Sandler and Kevin James
The man at the helm and his two stars provide a fun and chatty commentary for 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'. With constant mickey taking throughout, the trio talk about the Brooklyn setting, the shoot and the issues the film deals with. This is a fun commentary that fans of the movie and the stars will enjoy.

Feature Commentary with director Dennis Dugan
The man at the helm provides a single person commentary that isn't was good as the one he did with his two stars. A more technical and informative track about the production the movie, the director talks about what is was like working with this stars and shooting in Brooklyn.

Trailers
Previews of 'American Pie: Beta House', 'Bring it on: In it to win it', 'White Noise 2' and 'Saturday Night Live: Season Two'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' is pretty decent and one that fans should enjoy. The two commentaries are good and the featurettes cover most aspects of the film's production, making this a good package for fans.

DVD

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2007