Dir. Dennis Dugan

Rating: 2.6  |  0 User Reviews  |  Send to Friend

By David Thomas

This low-brow comedy tries to have its homophobic cake and eat it, too. The result is a flick as likely to make you cringe as laugh. The story follows Larry Valentine (Kevin James), a firefighter who's let his pension options lapse while grieving for his departed wife. Out of desperation to provide for his children, he convinces his best friend, Chuck (Adam Sandler), to claim to be his domestic partner for the benefits. Eventually, of course, the city comes investigating and vaguely uncomfortable shenanigans ensue. Simply put, the film has trouble distinguishing between making fun of homophobia and being homophobic. It's a fine line, and it doesn't help that guiding the way is director Dennis Dugan, who brings the same cultural sensitivity that he brought to such fare as "The Benchwarmers," "Saving Silverman," "Beverly Hills Ninja" and the "Silent but Deadly" episode of "The Mullets." Some gags, like Chuck and Larry going off on an intolerant cab driver (played by Dugan), work well. Others, like digs at Larry's son, a poor man's version of the nephew on "Ugly Betty," veer more toward Isaiah Washington territory. The movie attempts to make up for this boorishness by showing just how closed-minded Chuck and Larry's fellow firefighters are for shunning them, then having the fire chief (Dan Aykroyd) come in and literally inform the audience as to the moral of the story at the end. It's not that the film is actively anti-gay so much as it feels like its trying play both sides, on the one hand preaching about tolerance, while simultaneously pitching comedic softballs to all the homophobes in the audience in an attempt to placate Sandler's mainstream-fratboy fanbase. Even more troubling is that Alexander Payne ("Election," "Sideways") had a hand in the screenplay. It's hard to say which is scarier: The idea that this was the best Payne could do, or that something far, far worse existed before he got involved.

Bypass theater ticket lines. Buy movie tickets in advance at Fandango.com.

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