Film Review: Chuck and Larry

Chuck and Larry
Sept 28,10pm: Eastwood Cinemas

The gay community does not need another pretentious gay film seen through a straight perspective.

The movie is an exploration of gay discourse and culture through a problem-solving plot by the main characters. Two straight male firefighters engage in a catastrophic adventure pretending to be gay, when in fact they aren't, to secure insurance claims. The most vicious elaboration of this plot is when the writers thought it funny to center the entire film in humor founded in two straight guys trying to kiss in disgust.

When one of the main characters' wife died, he needed to make a claim but failed to do so within the one-year allowance. As a resolution he married his straight male best friend under the rights of domestic partnership. This would, in turn, give him the benefit of assurance that when he dies, he'd be leaving his two kids to a responsible person.

The main dilemma in the film is the abuse of the gay right to marry the same sex (at least in some states in the United States and some countries). The mistreatment of this right is not only against the law but directly insults the gay progressive movement which have advanced (not overnight but in many years) and continue to fight for gender equality. The movie tries to address this concern by inserting some lines by the lawyer (a woman) condemning the act, who they hired to protect their supposedly “gay marriage.” Having doubts herself of the authenticity of the marriage, she inquired on the two and the “couple” convinced her that they are indeed a real gay couple. What’s gruesome about the involvement of the lawyer in the plot is that it asserts male domination over both the female and gay community when the lawyer, seemingly attracted by the charm of one of the guys (Sandler), sleeps with her client. The love scene in this film is triumph of the male when Sandler gets the girl and does this while exploiting gay rights. He is even portrayed as being loved by the gay community in the end, settling his case and getting away with it.

The portrayal of the gay subculture is also problematic. On a positive note, there is an exposition of how some group of people still regard homosexuality as immoral. However, the portrayal of the gay lifestyle is of mere stereotype, does not represent the community and definitely does not empower gay people rather it commodifies the homosexual subculture through entertainment specifically the film medium.

This film is the anti-thesis of how gay people want to see its culture in cinema. In the end, the film is heterocentric. It still favors straight lifestyle over gay, capitalizing on the potential of gay culture to provide laughs, and undermines ages of struggle against unequal opportunities based on sexual preference. Homosexuality is more than just a material for jokes. It is an amalgam of personalities (and classes) unified by their sexual preference and recognition of this is important in any effort to aestheticize and represent this culture.