Movie · 2007 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 55m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.6/10 (276.8K ratings)
They're as straight as can be, but don't tell anyone.
Overview
Firefighters Chuck Ford and Larry Valentine are guy's guys, loyal to the core—which is why when widower Larry asks Chuck to pose as his lover so that he can get domestic partner benefits for his kids, his buddy agrees. However, things get dicey when a bureaucrat comes calling, and the boys are forced to present a picture of domestic bliss.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.6/10
IMDb: 5.9/10
Letterboxd: 2.52/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 15%
Metacritic: 37
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Dennis Dugan
Production
Universal Pictures, Happy Madison Productions
Cast
Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Nicholas Turturro, Allen Covert, Rachel Dratch, Richard Chamberlain, Nick Swardson, Blake Clark, Mary Pat Gleason, Matt Winston, Lance Bass, Dave Matthews, Dan Patrick, Rob Corddry, Robert Smigel, Richard Kline
Where to watch
Starz, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A broad, uneven studio comedy that mixes crude buddy humor with a surprisingly sincere pro-tolerance message. It’s often clumsy and dated, but the central friendship has enough warmth to make it intermittently worthwhile if you can tolerate the jokes.
Best for
fans of broad 2000s studio comedies
viewers curious about awkward but earnest LGBTQ-themed mainstream comedies
people who like buddy-cop chemistry and sentimental endings
Skip if
you’re sensitive to homophobic, sexist, or fat-shaming humor
you want sharp writing or consistently high joke density
you prefer modern, more thoughtful queer representation
Overview
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is one of those mid-2000s comedies that wants credit for its heart even when its jokes are stuck in the era’s worst habits. The premise is built on deception and discomfort, and the movie repeatedly stumbles into lazy stereotypes, but it also clearly aims to side with its queer characters and against the small-minded bureaucracy around them.
Worth noting
What keeps it from being a total write-off is the chemistry between Adam Sandler and Kevin James, which gives the film a real buddy-movie center. There’s a sincere strain running through the chaos, and the movie occasionally lands on something genuinely sweet about friendship, family, and public prejudice.
Bottom line
Still, the comedy is uneven and frequently crude, so the appeal is mostly historical or comparative rather than purely entertaining. If you’re revisiting Sandler’s 2000s output or looking for a mainstream comedy that reflects its moment, it has some curiosity value; otherwise, there are cleaner, funnier ways to spend two hours.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (2.5★) · 1614 likes
Kind of sweet at times. Maybe the most pro-gay homophobic movie ever made
Jason Alley🏳️🌈🐻 (3.5★) · 1163 likes
I've heard a lot about this movie being offensive and homophobic, but I just don't see it. As a gay man, I thought it was clumsy and often kinda dumb, but also completely sincere and heartfelt. It does traffic in stereotypes (effectively at times, I might add), but not in a hateful way, and there is no question that it reserves its harshest critiques for the small-minded and homophobic. Additionally, its two main characters (not to mention several others) undergo… more I've heard a lot about this movie being offensive and homophobic, but I just don't see it. As a gay man, I thought it was clumsy and often kinda dumb, but also completely sincere and heartfelt. It does traffic in stereotypes (effectively at times, I might add), but not in a hateful way, and there is no question that it reserves its harshest critiques for the small-minded and homophobic. Additionally, its two main characters (not to mention several others) undergo… more
DirkH (0.5★) · 867 likes
'I Now Pronounce You Homophobes Without Talent.'
Luna Challis (1.5★) · 511 likes
do the writers of this film know what bisexuality is
riley savage (0.5★) · 395 likes
this movie does more to humanize homophobes than it does gay people
1996 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 59m · R · Curator 7.8/10 (359.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A sharper, warmer mainstream comedy about family, performance, and queer visibility, with far better writing and timing.