Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Adam Sandler rides the "dude train"


Summary: Adam Sandler tries to learn the gay way

Take away the uninspired slapstick, the predictable off-color jokes, the obvious late-picture attempts at political correctness and maybe even Adam Sandler and “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” might have amounted to something. Getting two straight men must pretend to be gay -- the movie's premise -- requires a major helping of contrivance, but the idea has genuine satirical potential. Too bad this Sandler-backed comedy has more interest in showing that its heart is in the right place than in using recognizable emotional realities as a springboard for humor. Kevin James (“The King of Queens”) switches boroughs to play Sandler’s buddy, a fellow Brooklyn fireman who fakes a domestic partnership with Sandler’s character in order to protect his pension benefits. Like many other Sandler films, this one proves an indigestible mix of crude humor and Capraesque sentiment. By the time the movie makes its plea for tolerance, you may have forgotten the early-picture fart jokes or the dropped-soap-in-the-shower gags. Then again, maybe not.

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