July 20, 2007
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (also simply known as Chuck & Larry) is a 2007 American buddy comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan from a screenplay by Barry Fanaro, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters Chuck Levine and Larry Valentine, respectively, two New York City firefighters who run into various problems after they pretend to be a homosexual couple in order to ensure that Larry, a widowed father, can provide life insurance for his two children. Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi and Dan Aykroyd appear in supporting roles, with Jamie Chung making her film debut in a minor role.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry released in the United States on July 20, 2007, as Sandler's first role in a Universal Pictures film since Bulletproof in 1996. It grossed $187 million against an $85 million budget, but received generally negative reviews from critics.
Storyline
Veteran New York City firefighters Chuck Levine, a womanizing bachelor, and Larry Valentine, a widowed father, are the pride of their Brooklyn firehouse, Engine 506/Ladder 223. During a sweep of a burned building, a segment of floor collapses on Chuck, but after Larry rescues him from the debris, Chuck vows to repay him however possible. Experiencing an epiphany from the incident, Larry tries to increase his life insurance policy but discovers that a lapse in the paperwork after his wife Paula's death one year earlier prevents him from naming his children, Eric and Tori, as primary beneficiaries. The insurance company representative suggests that Larry find a new spouse that he can name as his beneficiary.
Inspired by a newspaper article about domestic partnerships, Larry asks Chuck to enter a civil union with him. Initially hesitant, Chuck is reminded of his debt to Larry and finally agrees, entering a domestic partnership and becoming Larry's primary beneficiary should he die. However, investigators arrive to inquire about their abrupt partnership, suspecting fraud, and so the duo decides to enlist the help of lawyer Alex McDonough, who suggests they have a formal wedding ceremony to prove their commitment. The pair travel to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada for a quick same-sex marriage at a wedding chapel, and Chuck moves in with Larry and his children.
Alex invites the couple to a gay benefit costume party. At the end of the evening, homophobicprotesters confront the partygoers. Chuck is provoked into punching their leader, and the local news picks up the incident. With their apparent homosexuality and marriage revealed, Chuck and Larry are heckled, their fellow FDNY firefighters abandon them, and their captain, Phineas J. Tucker, aware of the truth, refuses to protect them. Their only ally is Fred G. Duncan, an angry, intimidating firefighter who surprises Chuck by admitting he has not felt comfortable disclosing his homosexuality.
Chuck becomes romantically interested in Alex after the two spend time together, but finds himself unable to get close to her because she thinks he is gay. During an intimate talk about relationships, the two spontaneously kiss, but Alex, still believing Chuck is gay and married, is shocked and immediately distances herself from Chuck. Meanwhile, city agent Clinton Fitzer arrives to investigate the couple, and the strain on both Larry and Chuck results in a verbal fight. Larry asserts that Chuck's constant absence to spend time with Alex is jeopardizing their ability to maintain the ruse of their relationship, and Chuck responds by instructing Larry to move on from Paula's death. Later that evening, a petition circulates to have Chuck and Larry thrown out of the firehouse. Upon discovering it, Larry confronts the crew about personal embarrassments on the job that Chuck and Larry helped them overcome. Afterwards, Chuck and Larry reconcile with each other.
Eventually, numerous women publicly testify to having recently slept with Chuck, and the couple is called into court to defend their marriage against charges of fraud, with Alex as their attorney. Their fellow firefighters arrive in support, having realized all that the pair have done for them over the years. Fitzer interrogates both men, and eventually demands they kiss to prove that their relationship is physical. Before they do so, Captain Tucker arrives and exposes their marriage as a sham and both men as straight. He emphasizes that the situation reminded people not to be judgmental, and then offers to be arrested as well, since he knew about the false relationship but failed to report it, which prompts the other firefighters to show solidarity by claiming a role in the wedding. The firefighters are quickly released from jail after negotiating a deal to provide photos for an AIDS research benefit calendar, provided that Chuck and Larry plead guilty to fraud, which would reduce the charges to a misdemeanor and allow the duo to keep their benefits.
Two months later, Fred and Alex's brother, Kevin, are married in Niagara Falls at the same chapel as Chuck and Larry. At the wedding party (which features musical guest Lance Bass), Larry moves on from Paula's death and talks to a new woman, while Alex agrees to a dance with Chuck.
Sound Effects Used
- Sound Ideas, APPLAUSE, CROWD - SMALL STUDIO AUDIENCE: SHORT APPLAUSE 01
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, GURGLE - STOMACH, GRUMBLE, GRUMBLING STOMACH, DIGIFFECTS (Used for Larry's stomach.)