...at the end of the day I’m not sure I particularly cared for this film.
Video:
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" is delivered by Universal in a 1.85:1 widescreen presentation that is far better looking than it is entertaining. Mastered with the VC-1 codec, "Chuck and Larry" is detailed, colorful and clean. Colors are strong and vibrant, as would be expected from such a recent film. Fleshtones are spot-on perfect and the rest of the color spectrum holds up well. Red fire trucks look good and the yellow and black of the uniforms look strong as well. Speaking of blacks, the black level is strong. Detail is also strong and there are a few scenes that show off the higher resolution of HD-DVD. The scene where Larry falls down a ladder is one of the more visually strong moments. Leaves and grass look strong as well as the texture of the bricks. There are plenty of other strong scenes found in the film. However, there are some instances of edge enhancement found in the picture and darker colors show the telling halos of this digital flaw. Source materials are pristine and the film is about as clean as possible. I was generally pleased by the look of this transfer.
Sound:
The technical accolades continue with the sound transfer of the film. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" features a strong English Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 mix that showcases the clarity of the next generation format. A standard English Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is also provided for English and French. The TrueHD track easily outshines the Dolby Digital mix and those who can play the high bandwidth soundtrack will certainly want to do so. "Chuck and Larry" is one of the better sounding comedies I´ve heard in a while and the musical numbers featured in the film and some of the fire fighting action sequences sound great. A few other scenes offer a heightened sense of sound that is quite effective in delivering sound to each of the six channels. The .1 LFE channel is not used extensively, but its presence can be felt during a few scenes in the film. Rear surrounds are used effectively to build a nice enveloping experience. The film´s dialogue is very clean and strong and is never drowned out by anything else delivered by the TrueHD track. I was definitely pleased with how the film sounded.
Extras:
As is the case with many of the recent Universal top-shelf films, "Chuck and Larry" is presented as an HD-DVD / DVD combo format release. The high definition side of the disc presents its supplements in high definition, but also includes U-Control and Web Enabled features. I have become more accepting of the combo format releases and the newer titles such as "Chuck and Larry" are of the variety where you may have more of a need to transport the disc to a friend´s house to watch on their standard definition DVD players. I do enjoy the fact that Universal now provides supplements for both formats and you no longer need to flip the disc to enjoy the supplemental materials.
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" contains two commentary tracks. Te first Feature Commentary with Director Dennis Dugan, Adam Sandler and Kevin James is the better of the two commentary tracks and finds the two stars and the film´s director laughing and enjoying the film and talking more about what is going on on-screen. This is a very energetic commentary track and James and Sandler feed off of each other the entire time and provide a nice colorful look at the film. The second Feature Commentary with Director Dennis Dugan is more detailed about the actual making of the picture, but it is a bit drier than the first track and Dugan does go silent for a number of stretches during the commentary. If you only have time to listen to one of the two commentary tracks, then I strongly suggest the first one with the film´s two stars.
The two next generation supplements are nothing to get excited over. The Web Enabled Features are much of the same that have been found on other releases. In fact, much of the same promotional trailers are included to download and enjoy. There was nothing additional for the "Chuck and Larry" experience and the only interactive feature of the web-enabled content is an ability to share favorite scenes with others. The U-Control feature contained on the HD-DVD disc is the Friendship Test. This provides pop-up questions throughout the film. The feature tabulates your answers and gives you a final score at the end of the film. The U-Control menu shows which scenes have questions and which ones have been answered.
The standard features include Deleted Scenes (9:41) with optional commentary by director Dennis Dugan. The features are thrown together and carry on with much of the same content in the film. The scenes are provided in high definition and if you enjoyed the film, these scenes are worth checking out. Laughing is Contagious (6:41) is a collection of outtakes that shows the cast and crew enjoying some of the mishaps from the film. This was spun to be a little more polished and promotional than most outtake supplements, but it was mildly humorous. There was a lot of laughing. I Now Pronounce You Husband and… Husband? (5:12) is another short bit that looks at Kevin James and Adam Sandler sitting in the same theater they did for the "Laughing is Contagious" feature and talking about their experiences in making the film. Look Who Stopped By (6:33) talks about all the cameos contained in the film. There were many cameos and I enjoyed this little feature. Stop, Drop and Roll (5:25) finds the film´s two stars talking about the stunts they performed in the picture. This was part three of the overall making-of-feature that has been broken down on the disc. Finally, Dugan: The Hands on Director (5:37) concludes the making of feature and finds Kevin James and Adam Sandler talking about the film´s director.
Closing Comments:
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is one of the least impressive outings by A-List comedian Adam Sandler in over a decade. Perhaps the veteran actor meant well, but his mean spirited stereotypical humor feels juvenile and pedestrian when compared to many of the other films he has made recently. Kevin James deserved a shot in a big picture and neither him nor Sandler are bad in their roles. Jessica Biel is present in the picture, but seems to serve a purpose of only having her breasts fondled by Sandler. Perhaps I´m jealous, but she could have been used to a greater extent in the film. This is a movie that has funny moments, but isn´t nearly as good as most other Adam Sandler films. The HD-DVD features a strong sight and sound presentation that is top-notch for a comedy. The supplements aren´t too terribly impressive. The U-Control is more gimmick than impressive. Sandler fans will enjoy the supplements, but they are mostly forgettable. There were some things I liked about the film, but at the end of the day I´m not sure I particularly cared for this film.
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" is delivered by Universal in a 1.85:1 widescreen presentation that is far better looking than it is entertaining. Mastered with the VC-1 codec, "Chuck and Larry" is detailed, colorful and clean. Colors are strong and vibrant, as would be expected from such a recent film. Fleshtones are spot-on perfect and the rest of the color spectrum holds up well. Red fire trucks look good and the yellow and black of the uniforms look strong as well. Speaking of blacks, the black level is strong. Detail is also strong and there are a few scenes that show off the higher resolution of HD-DVD. The scene where Larry falls down a ladder is one of the more visually strong moments. Leaves and grass look strong as well as the texture of the bricks. There are plenty of other strong scenes found in the film. However, there are some instances of edge enhancement found in the picture and darker colors show the telling halos of this digital flaw. Source materials are pristine and the film is about as clean as possible. I was generally pleased by the look of this transfer.
Sound:
The technical accolades continue with the sound transfer of the film. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" features a strong English Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 mix that showcases the clarity of the next generation format. A standard English Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is also provided for English and French. The TrueHD track easily outshines the Dolby Digital mix and those who can play the high bandwidth soundtrack will certainly want to do so. "Chuck and Larry" is one of the better sounding comedies I´ve heard in a while and the musical numbers featured in the film and some of the fire fighting action sequences sound great. A few other scenes offer a heightened sense of sound that is quite effective in delivering sound to each of the six channels. The .1 LFE channel is not used extensively, but its presence can be felt during a few scenes in the film. Rear surrounds are used effectively to build a nice enveloping experience. The film´s dialogue is very clean and strong and is never drowned out by anything else delivered by the TrueHD track. I was definitely pleased with how the film sounded.
Extras:
As is the case with many of the recent Universal top-shelf films, "Chuck and Larry" is presented as an HD-DVD / DVD combo format release. The high definition side of the disc presents its supplements in high definition, but also includes U-Control and Web Enabled features. I have become more accepting of the combo format releases and the newer titles such as "Chuck and Larry" are of the variety where you may have more of a need to transport the disc to a friend´s house to watch on their standard definition DVD players. I do enjoy the fact that Universal now provides supplements for both formats and you no longer need to flip the disc to enjoy the supplemental materials.
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" contains two commentary tracks. Te first Feature Commentary with Director Dennis Dugan, Adam Sandler and Kevin James is the better of the two commentary tracks and finds the two stars and the film´s director laughing and enjoying the film and talking more about what is going on on-screen. This is a very energetic commentary track and James and Sandler feed off of each other the entire time and provide a nice colorful look at the film. The second Feature Commentary with Director Dennis Dugan is more detailed about the actual making of the picture, but it is a bit drier than the first track and Dugan does go silent for a number of stretches during the commentary. If you only have time to listen to one of the two commentary tracks, then I strongly suggest the first one with the film´s two stars.
The two next generation supplements are nothing to get excited over. The Web Enabled Features are much of the same that have been found on other releases. In fact, much of the same promotional trailers are included to download and enjoy. There was nothing additional for the "Chuck and Larry" experience and the only interactive feature of the web-enabled content is an ability to share favorite scenes with others. The U-Control feature contained on the HD-DVD disc is the Friendship Test. This provides pop-up questions throughout the film. The feature tabulates your answers and gives you a final score at the end of the film. The U-Control menu shows which scenes have questions and which ones have been answered.
The standard features include Deleted Scenes (9:41) with optional commentary by director Dennis Dugan. The features are thrown together and carry on with much of the same content in the film. The scenes are provided in high definition and if you enjoyed the film, these scenes are worth checking out. Laughing is Contagious (6:41) is a collection of outtakes that shows the cast and crew enjoying some of the mishaps from the film. This was spun to be a little more polished and promotional than most outtake supplements, but it was mildly humorous. There was a lot of laughing. I Now Pronounce You Husband and… Husband? (5:12) is another short bit that looks at Kevin James and Adam Sandler sitting in the same theater they did for the "Laughing is Contagious" feature and talking about their experiences in making the film. Look Who Stopped By (6:33) talks about all the cameos contained in the film. There were many cameos and I enjoyed this little feature. Stop, Drop and Roll (5:25) finds the film´s two stars talking about the stunts they performed in the picture. This was part three of the overall making-of-feature that has been broken down on the disc. Finally, Dugan: The Hands on Director (5:37) concludes the making of feature and finds Kevin James and Adam Sandler talking about the film´s director.
Closing Comments:
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is one of the least impressive outings by A-List comedian Adam Sandler in over a decade. Perhaps the veteran actor meant well, but his mean spirited stereotypical humor feels juvenile and pedestrian when compared to many of the other films he has made recently. Kevin James deserved a shot in a big picture and neither him nor Sandler are bad in their roles. Jessica Biel is present in the picture, but seems to serve a purpose of only having her breasts fondled by Sandler. Perhaps I´m jealous, but she could have been used to a greater extent in the film. This is a movie that has funny moments, but isn´t nearly as good as most other Adam Sandler films. The HD-DVD features a strong sight and sound presentation that is top-notch for a comedy. The supplements aren´t too terribly impressive. The U-Control is more gimmick than impressive. Sandler fans will enjoy the supplements, but they are mostly forgettable. There were some things I liked about the film, but at the end of the day I´m not sure I particularly cared for this film.
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[release]22197[/release]