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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

    Featured In Issue 127, January 2008

    Picture3.5
    SoundNR
    WSR Score3.5
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Universal Studios Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    61032404
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG-13
    (Rating Reason):
    For crude sexual content, nudity, language and some drug references
    (Retail Price):
    $39.98
    (Disc Type):
    Dual Side/Dual Layer (HD DVD30/DVD9)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    116
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    No
    (Regional Coding):
    1
    (Theatrical Year):
    2007
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    11/06/07
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Dennis Dugan
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital+ 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Chuck Levine (Sandler) and Larry Valentine (James) are the pride of their fire station—two manly men who are best friends, always side-by-side, willing to do anything to help the other out. When civic red tape disallows widower, Larry, from naming his children as beneficiaries on his life insurance, he calls in a favor from best-buddy Chuck. Chuck is forced to agree to "I Do" when the judge proclaims I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry. Now posing as domestic partners to breach a loophole in the insurance restrictions, an overzealous bureaucrat becomes suspicious of the couple's union. Their civil union becomes front-page news, and the two are forced into a charade as love-struck newlyweds. (Stacey Pendry)

    Special features include up-front previews, seven deleted scenes with optional commentary from Director Dennis Dugan, and the following featurettes: Laughing Is Contagious (seven minutes), I Now Pronounce You Husband And...Husband? (five minutes), Look Who Stopped By (seven minutes), Stop, Drop, And Roll (five minutes), and Dugan: The Hands-on Director (five minutes). There is also an option to view the film with commentary from cast and crew.

    The anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 DVD exhibits a pleasing image with solid blacks and well-balanced contrast. Colors are bold and vibrant, and fleshtones are natural with good delineation between different tones. Black levels are fairly deep, but shadow delineation is lacking, as details in the darkest portions of the picture are difficult to make out. Edge enhancement is very minor and pixel breakup is not overly noticeable. The VC-1-encoded HD DVD also features bold colors and nicely balanced contrast, but fine details aren't delivered as well as the best high-definition releases. Black levels look slightly gray, and shadow delineation is somewhat lacking. (Danny Richelieu)

    The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack can be limited in the front channels, but there are times when the mix incorporates each of the channels well. True phantom imaging is limited around the soundstage, which further limits the naturalness of the soundtrack. A shuffling distortion can be heard at times, but it does not become too much of a distraction. The HD DVD's Dolby Digital Plus encoding provides a slight increase in fidelity, but its lossless Dolby TrueHD encoding provides a noticeable increase in fidelity, although it also highlights the subtle brightness of the soundtrack, which can be heard in a sibilance in the dialogue. (Danny Richelieu)

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