I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

Firefighters Chuck Ford and Larry Valentine are guy's guys, loyal to the core—which is why when widower Larry asks Chuck to pose as his lover so that he can get domestic partner benefits for his kids, his buddy agrees. However, things get dicey when a bureaucrat comes calling, and the boys are forced to present a picture of domestic bliss.

Critics largely savaged this Adam Sandler comedy for trading in crude gay stereotypes while failing to generate genuine laughs, with most finding its good intentions undercut by crass execution. A small minority, including some contrarian voices, argued the film's heart was in the right place and that its blunt approach carried an unexpectedly progressive moral. The gap between the critics' near-unanimous disdain and the audience's warmer reception is the real story here.