I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
As the final few weeks of classes come to an end, I stumbled upon one of my favorite movies, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. It is one of the most underrated movies for the same-sex marriage rights movement. Surprisingly, it came from the mind of Adam Sandler, one of the films and producers and cast members. The film starts off with two loving, average- joe friends, Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) and Larry Valentine (Kevin James) who both risk their lives every day in the New York City Fire Department.
As the film progresses, you understand that Chuck is the classic straight bachelor, sleeping with more women than he can remember. Larry, on the other hand, is the loving, supportive father figure in his exceptional children’s lives. He’s a widowed father of two children’s. After a nasty accident where Larry saves Chuck’s life, he realizes he needs to make sure his children are taken care of if he were to die young. Larry wants to have his kids as his primary beneficiaries on his insurance. To do that, Larry must marry again. In Larry’s eyes the solution is simple, there’s no one he trusts more than Chuck and their unbreakable bond.So Larry calls in the favor of a lifetime Chuck owes him for saving his life, and asks Chuck to marry him. Chuck was very hesitant at first, but knew someone had to step up and take care of the kids. Throughout the movie, Chuck and Larry battle the City of New York to recognize their love as an official marriage, not just a domestic partnership, and also the controversial topic of being openly gay in a strong “manly” profession. Adam Sandler produced this movie before same-sex marriage was legal. Domestic partnership was legal when the movie came out, but the city of New York in the real world could actually choose which domestic partnership relationships they wanted to recognize. “In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage and the refusal to recognize same-sex marriages legally entered into in another state were both unconstitutional infringements upon the rights of due process and equal protection” (Family.Findlaw). I find this absolutely astonishing. This film tugs at your heartstrings while showing the true value of friendship and family. I also support Adam Sandler’s notion of supporting a suppressed cause by giving it the recognition it deserved at the time! It’s a must see and mostly family friendly!