Saturday, March 5, 2011

"Now I Pronounce You Chuck & Larry", Dennis Dugan (2010)

An humanist comedy, crafted by the expert hands of Alexander Payne and that gentle spokesman for middle America, Adam Sandler.  This movie is funny and intelligent, kid you not.  "Brockeback Mountain" alienated scores of straight men with its promises of warm homosexual kisses, and when the moment came, it was glacial and timid, but still hurt to watch it: I never believed for a second that those people loved each other.  "INPYCaL" attacked the problem head-on, giving you Jessica Biel in panties, corageous firefighters and even Tila Tequila.  But there is a catch, see? Chuck and Larry, despite being straight, really love each other, and they don´t need to kiss to be the gayest couple in the mainstream cinema of the 21st Century.  Chuck and Larry learn what it means to be gay in the  United States, not exactlty the paradise that the guardians of Political Correctness want you to believe.  They equally joke about gays, fat men, ugly women, blacks and straight whites, but they know when enough is enough, explaining that some despicable words in the English language are equally insulting (nigger = faggot = kike).  "The Kids Are Allright" tried to make lesbians acceptable by making them almost heterosexual, "INPYCaL" instead tells you that gays are not like you at all, and it should not matter.  Differently from "Brokeback...", Chuck and Larry earned their kiss, and I would not think less of them if they don´t do it in front of the audience (3+/5).
Pablo Podhorzer ("white" & straight).

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762107/
Armond White (black & gay) review: http://www.nypress.com/article-16861-bosom-buddies.html
Nathan Lee (Village Voice, also gay): http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-07-10/film/queer-as-folk/

This film has a meagre 14% of positive reviews according to the Rottentomatoes aggregate engine, proving that consensus sometimes is downright wrong.

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