Movie review: ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry’

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It’s too bad that politics or a controversial issue can cloud someone’s judgment about a movie, especially when some people will not watch it because they disagree with the premise or believe from either side that the film is promoting an agenda. I understand having a negative opinion of individual entertainers (after all, whose intelligence is NOT insulted by by the bleatings of Sean Penn, much less the vapid and insipid nothingness of the Kardashians? Yet, it is difficult to understand why someone is not able to enjoy a film because the subject matter is something he or she opposes. Today, I’m taking a look at “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” and its subject matter makes more for division than it does allow for enjoyment of a great comedy and the best turn in any film by Kevin James.

‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry’
(2007; 115 minutes; rated PG-13; directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Jessica Biel)

BETTER THAN YOU’D THINK FROM ADAM SANDLER

(NOTE: I expanded this review with additional opinion and trivia and the updating of links on July 11, 2020. I again expanded the review on May 28, 2025.)

Right up front, I’ll tell you I’m going to avoid making any philosophical judgments of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” but I will review the film because it is truly funny. It is funny because its humor is creative and makes its point without being strident or, by the more usual bullying technique of looking down at an audience. Finally, it is endearing and that’s always a passing grade in my book for a flick.

Of course, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” addresses gay marriage and assorted “woke” issues and I’m not going to express an opinion by taking sides since no one will ever agree to a middle ground on the subject(s). I’m just going to say that this is a very funny, entertaining film in the usual Adam Sandler vein (nearly, but not quite as good as “Just Go With It” – click here to read my review) and has some nice drama to toss into the mix, too.

If anything, almost as divisive as the topic is that it is an Adam Sandler film. However, unlike some of his films, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” actually has some depth beyond the next joke. Again however, some people love his comedy; others hate it. There’s little middle ground on this issue, too.

To set the scene in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” … it’s the story of two friends who are fellow firefighters. One is promiscuous (I’ll let you guess which one) and the other is a family man whose wife died a couple of years previously. Due to his grief, the one firefighter didn’t complete the proper paperwork within a deadline so that his two children would be named his beneficiaries in case of a disaster on his high-risk job.

Here is a promotional “still” photograph from the movie “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.”

Enter the issue of marrying his best friend – by doing that he could change his beneficiary. Then the hilarity really begins. From meeting with an attorney (Jessica Biel in a wonderful turn) who becomes the attraction for one to a fellow gay firefighter coming out or even to their wedding, the two careen through life like crazed pinballs before landing before a civil hearing about their union (they’re accused of falsely using a civil union as a couple to gain benefit in the bureaucracy).

In the end, like most comedies, everyone’s happy (except the creepy little bureaucrat so beautifully played by actor’s actor Steve Buscemi) and it’s all tied up neatly when the credits roll.

The most effective scene is the civil hearing at the end and showcases actual acting ability of Sandler and co-star Kevin James. Director Dennis Dugan does a marvelous job balancing all the elements that need to come into play to make the scene work. The other part to note is the chemistry between Sandler and James, who manage to do a good job of squabbling like an old married couple.

Here’s a rundown of the highlights of the film through the principal cast:

  • As headliner and character “Charles Todd ‘Chuck’ Levine,” two-time Golden Globe nominee and five-time Primetime Emmy nominee (not for this one), Sandler gets the over-the-top part as the womanizing, free-wheeling bachelor who’s the last guy you’d think would settle down (much less with another guy). As he usually does, Sandler doesn’t disappoint – he’s engaging and funny. What he does very well here is give his character some depth (and this isn’t something ever said about his movie roles). Of course, my favorite Sandler film is the golf classic “Happy Gilmore” (click here to read my review) and that one is nearly eclipsed by “Just Go With It.” He was nominated for a Globe for the critically acclaimed “Punch-Drunk Love” and his first acting credit was as “Smitty” on “The Cosby Show.” In a regrettable performance, he was “Dink the Clown” in the regrettable “Shakes the Clown.” His other nominations came for performing and writing on “Saturday Night Live.”
  • A Primetime Emmy nominee, James as “Lawrence Arthur ‘Larry’ Valentine” makes a good mark here and that’s nice since you probably judge him more for the poor performance he gave in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.” James is funny, but he doesn’t get a hit every time up. He does a good job here with switching between emotions and he gives solid support (even as a co-star) with Sandler. James is best remembered and was nominated for TV’s “The King of Queens” and was in “Hitch” with Will Smith. Critics disagree with my assessment of James as he was nominated for two “Razzies” as “worst of” for “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” while other nominations for “Razzies” come from “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”
  • A Golden Globe nominee (not for this one) and Primetime Emmy nominee, Biel, who plays attorney “Alex McDonough,” is the calm, strong female lead in the film. She shows her acting strength with a solid, smooth performance that keeps up in the face of the antics of Sandler. Her beauty is appreciated without her knowledge by Sandler, but thankfully isn’t the key component of her character. “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” is a nice big-name film for Biel, who was also in the remake of “Total Recall.” She was nominated for both a Globe and Emmy for the TV series “The Sinner.” More recently, she headlined the critically acclaimed tee-vee mini-series “Candy.”
  • A Golden Globe winner and three-time nominee (not for this one) and a Primetime Emmy winner and seven-time nominee, Buscemi crafts a wonderfully pedantic and squirrelly character with “Clint Fitzer.” Buscemi cranks out these kind of characters with aplomb and does exceptional work in drama such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs;” “Desperado” from Robert Rodriguez; and the Coen Brothers’ cult classic “The Big Lebowski.” The film would have been just a little less watchable without the “Fitzer” character as done by Buscemi. He won his Globe for HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (and earned another two nominations for it, too) and was also nominated for the movie “Ghost World.” He won his Emmy for a short and was nominated for an episode of “Portlandia” as well as “Boardwalk Empire.”
  • An Oscar-nominee but best known for TV’s “SNL” and the movie “Trading Places” (click here to read my review), Dan Aykroyd plays “Capt. Phineas J. Tucker” is the guys’ supervisor and creates their downfall and helps save them all at the same time at the end. It’s a good, solid role for Aykroyd, who doesn’t always do well in small roles. He’s best remembered not only for “SNL,” but I enjoyed his work almost as much in a supporting role opposite John Cryer in “Grosse Pointe Blank” (click here to read my review). Aykroyd won and was nominated two other times for Primetime Emmys for writing on “SNL” in the 1970s.
  • A Golden Globe winner (not for this one), Ving Rhames plays firefighter “Fred G. Duncan” and at first appears to be ready at any moment to explode in violence. However, he’s actually ready to come out of the closet and does so to Sandler. Rhames does good work here, especially with the contrast of violence just under the surface and a conflicted man who is somewhat unsure of himself. Rhames is best remembered for his role as the crime boss in “Pulp Fiction.” He also did good work in the remake of “Dawn of the Dead” and won for the TV movie “Don King: Only in America.”
  • Nick Swardson, who plays Biel’s gay brother “Kevin McDonough” and ultimately marries Rhames (oops! Spoiler alert too late!), is funny in this one but doesn’t manage to do the job he did in “Just Go With It” with Sandler. He’s over-the-top here and handles it well. Swardson has been in films such as the stoner cult classic “Grandma’s Boy” – click here for my review) – and “The Benchwarmers.”

Finally, the neatest supporting work by far is from three-time Golden Globe winner (not for this one) Richard Chamberlain, who plays “Councilman Banks” on the board that is investigating Sandler and James. Being gay and having been “outed” by a magazine in the 1980s, Chamberlain was an inspired casting choice and he does a really neat job. He is probably best remembered for a couple of TV mini-series: “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds.” He won Globes for both and also won for the TV series “Dr. Kildare.” He was also nominated for the mini-series “Centennial,” the TV movie “Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story” and the mini-series “The Bourne Idenitity” as the title character alongside Jaclyn Smith. Chamberlain died of complications from a stroke at 90 in 2025 (two days before his 91st birthday).

Just as Sandler’s films usually garner negative reviews, so did “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.” It was vilified by the mainstream press critics, but there was one that is more in line with what I see in the film. Here’s an excerpt from Wiki’s entry: “Nathan Lee from the Village Voice wrote a positive review, praising the film for being ‘tremendously savvy in its stupid way’ …” Again, I believe the subject matter obscured (for both sides) the very solid portions of the film.

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” was the 23rd ranked film at the U.S. box office in 2007 with $120 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. Worldwide, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” made $186 million on a budget of $85 million, according to Wiki. The No. 1 film of the year was “Spider-Man 3” with $336.5 million. It was a neat year in cinema and I’ve reviewed these from 2007:

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • James’ birth name is Kevin George Knipfing; director Dennis Dugan’s middle name is Barton; and Rhames’ birth name is Irving Rameses Rhames.
  • Buscemi was a firefighter before he became an actor.
  • Dugan has brief screen time as a Niagara Falls cab driver who gets snarky with the guys.
  • Allen Covert, who is another actor/writer who works frequently with Sandler, has a small part as a homophobic parent. He was much better as the headliner in “Grandma’s Boy” with Swardson as his sidekick (click here to read my review).
  • Music superstar Dave Matthews has another Sandler credit here, but it’s a much smaller role than the one he played in “Just Go With It” (he picks up a coconut with his buttocks in that film). Even in just a few seconds on screen, Matthews does a good job. He has also done TV work such as an episode of “House, M.D.” and is a very underrated actor.
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “Larry’s home address that Chuck tells to Duncan was Adam Sandler‘s actual childhood address growing up.”

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