I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry on Blu-ray Disc Review
By Rachel Cericola
The Film
Adam Sandler is a goofball. We know that. However, he was always a likable goofball. In
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, though, the comedian really pulls out all of the stops to come off as a completely hideous person -- and he is actually one of the more likable characters in this "comedy."
Sandler stars alongside Kevin James as two heterosexual firefighters who come up with a hair-brained scheme to get health benefits for the widower James' two kids. The con: That the two would develop a domestic partnership. Of course, it's not as easy as going down to city hall, so the two actually get married and move in together. Get it? The jokes almost write themselves. In fact, they should have; they probably would have been funnier.
However, the film doesn't limit itself to gay jokes; it's an equal-opportunity offender. Also, Sandler trots out pretty much every member of the Happy Madison family. It's almost like a drinking game within a film. That's probably not such a bad idea if you want to get through the movie.
In case you were blinded by the comedy, Jessica Biel also stars in the film. She's the duo's way-too-hot lawyer as well as a way-too-hot love interest for Sandler. It's her typical role, which means you can expect some bra-and-panty action to make its way onto the screen.
Even if you're not a member of the P.C. movie police, this film really pushes the limit. That would be fine and dandy, if it weren't
so bad. Didn't soap dropping stop being funny in grade school? Apparently that kind of comedy never goes out of style. Stereotypes run rampant in
Chuck & Larry, all the way down to Rob Schneider's appearance as an Asian minister.
The movie even turns on itself by the end, showing viewers that gay bashing isn't so cool after all. Then what were we supposed to be laughing at for the past two hours?
The Picture
Supposedly, Universal has not made many improvements since
Chuck & Larry hit HD DVD. The 1.85:1 transfer has some pretty good opening aerial shots, but it pretty much goes downhill from there. That's not to say that this release is horrible. It's acceptable, but nothing you’ll be bragging about. Outside shots and some of the fire sequences look very lifelike. However, a lot of the scenes inside Larry's house as well as in the firehouse are saturated with bold colors.
The Sound
The one saving grace of the
Chuck & Larry release is that it has some decent sound. Of course, we are used to comedies being built on dialogue, and the DTS-HD Master Audio does convey that nicely. However,
Chuck & Larry has a lot of action and loud music. It seems like every scene blasts out some type of music (House of Pain, Cyndi Lauper, Abba, Journey, Pet Shop Boys, and others). Of course, it's not just one big dance party. The fire sequences as well as the climactic courtroom scene add a lot for your surrounds to play with.
The Extras
This unbelievably bad movie has unbelievably bad extras to match. Aside from two commentaries, fans are only treated to one measly U-Control feature called the "Friendship Test." It's as if Universal knew that no one would care about this release. They might be right.
Final Thoughts
Every time Adam Sandler gets ahead in the movie world (
Punch Drunk Love and even
The Wedding Singer), he certainly knows how to drop back down a level. Apparently, he likes it there with all of his Happy Madison cohorts. Of course, you don't have to like it, and we recommend that you don't watch it. A bad movie and a not-so-great Blu-ray -- do you need more convincing?
Where to Buy:
Product Details
- Actors: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Dan Aykroyd
- Director: Dennis Dugan
- Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (French, Spanish)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: July 21, 2009
- Run Time: 116 minutes
- List Price: $34.99
- Extras:
- Feature Commentary with Director Dennis Dugan, Adam Sandler and Kevin James
- Feature Commentary with Director Dennis Dugan
- U-Control: Friendship Test
