Analyze the Movie “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”

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Analyze the Movie “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”

Summary of the Film

This romantic comedy tells the story of two male best friends, Chuck Levine played by Adam Sandler and Larry Valentine played by Kevin James, who got legally married. The two firefighters have been long time friends and Larry asks for a big favor from his best friend. As a widower, he is worried that he may not have the ability to name his children as beneficiaries in his life insurance policy. This however may change if he is married and therefore, he turns to Chuck and asks him to be his domestic partner. Unfortunately, gay marriages are a big thing at the time and the two are forced to carry their charade to extreme measures especially when the exposure in the news is involved. They are determined to follow through with their plan despite the suspicion from many public servants on the legitimacy of the marriage. All the events in the movie are both traumatizing and entertaining because of the humor and thrill of the unfolding events.

Analysis

Various real life issues are highlighted throughout the movie. These issues offer an educative purpose and expose some of the unfortunate truths of the society as it is today. Among these issues, include the everyday lives of single parents and the relationship they tend to have with their children. Secondly, the movie focuses on the gay marriage between Chuck and Larry. This is by showing the process they have to go through to acquire the title of ‘domestic partners’ and the after effects of the union. Lastly, the movie also focuses on the level of discrimination placed against relationships that are different from the norm. In this case, there are many instances where the city and the public servants question the validity of the same sex marriage and the intentions behind it.

Theme 1: Single Parenthood

In the first scenario, Larry is the single father to two children, a daughter, and a son. The movie shows his everyday struggle to juggle his work and cater for their needs day in day out. Many things pose as challenges in his relationships with his children especially the endless questions that Larry has to answer to satisfy the curiosity of the children. An example is the scene where they are concerned as to why ‘Uncle Chuck’ is visiting for too long. This scene is comical because the young girl cannot pronounce the word ‘homosexuals’ but instead says ‘homesexicles’ as an indication that they are aware that such a thing exists. Explaining to them about it however shows that it is not an easy task for Larry or for Chuck to keep the children in line with their plan.

Similarly, the main reason behind faking the union between the two is centered on the need for Larry to ensure his children are taken care of upon his demise. He is determined to stay married to Chuck until his request is approved and this shows the highest level of sacrifice of single parents. The other thing that shows how difficult it is for Larry is the possibility that this decision could have both of them prosecuted. Regardless, he manages to prove that he is indeed married and that it is legitimate.

Theme 2: Gay Marriages

The theme of the gay marriage however, which is the main storyline starts from the wedding ceremony with the priest reading their vows and asking them to kiss. The two make this scene weird which shows that such a union is uncommon hence weird for two straight people to enact such a part. In addition, there are certain vocabularies such as ‘domestic partnership’ that indicate that it is different and that it is in reality the unification between two same sex people.

Further, the news crew take up the matter of a gay marriage and make it front cover news. This aggravates the situation and makes them participate in gay rights movements and appearances to convince everyone. Similarly, a scene acknowledges the relationship as a major issue with many people in similar relationships. For chuck, things get a little uncomfortable because he is interested in the female lawyer handling their case and he struggles to maintain his promise to Larry. The general attitude that surrounds this marriage is a depiction of the actual reality of how gay marriages are perceived in many parts of America.

Theme 3: Discrimination in Relationships

Their marriage is criticized from all corners starting from the city itself, which sends a beautiful female advocate to oversee the case. In addition, there is an enthusiastic bureaucrat determined to call the wedding a sham, who constantly shows up at Larry’s home to analyze their relationship. Chuck is forced to move in with Larry and his children as a ploy to convince the civil servants that they were in every sense a happy gay couple. The wedding ceremony itself is conducted in Las Vegas and in the absence of family and friends. This theme indicates that such a relationship is done discreetly and that it can only take place in specific parts of the country where they are allowed.

All the city restrictions and follow-ups do not commonly happen in every marriage as diligently as they do in this relationship. In addition, the amount of attention that the marriage attracts is discriminatory because it is interfering with their daily lives to the extent of having the news crew involved. In one scene, their boss questions the possibility of the gay union as well and cautions them to leave him out if they get into any trouble. The workmates do not sound supportive of their relationship and some use it to make fun of them in several scenes. All these show that the same sex relationship portrayed by Adam Sandler and Kevin James is in every bit real and that it endures numerous challenges to be accepted in the society.

Conclusion

The film is an inspiring story of the true aspects of friendship, parenthood, family, and marriage. This is because it addresses all the sociological concepts of what pertains to a marriage and having a family. The wedding between Chuck and Larry is done before a religious leader and issued with a certificate. They move in together and face many challenges as a couple. In many instances, the pressure became too high and the two fought and grew apart but later managed to work out their differences. They took care of Larry’s children and did house chores together and overall their relationship appeared legit. Chuck and Larry were not well off and were in a very challenging relationship at the time. The film however shows that through resilience and dedication they managed to keep their friendship and relationship intact through it all.

Overall, it was a true demonstration of all the important aspects of relationships in both marriage and friendship with regard to the particular themes within the storyline.