Fridae

Oh boy, this is one of the most absolutely annoying gay films we've ever seen! Although it purports to be a gay-friendly film and its ultimate message is gay tolerance, the route to getting there is littered with unpleasant semi-homophobic jokes and offensive cliches about gay men. Indeed, it's a movie that only dumb straight men � with no real knowledge of gays and their lives � would make and enjoy.

Adam Sandler and Kevin James play two straight firemen who are best friends. When single father Kevin discovers that his two young children may not be able to inherit his insurance money if he were to die, he persuades Adam to pretend to be his gay partner so that the latter can technically inherit that money and take care of Kevin's kids should that happen.

This sets up all sorts of complications, especially when the insurance company comes checking to make sure the 'couple' is not trying to pull as fast one...

On paper, this may sound like a premise for a good, gay-friendly mainstream comedy. But Adam Sandler, who also produced the film, has always resorted to coarse toilet humour and cheap sentimentality in his films. He is incapable of doing anything that is truly humane and open-minded. Hence, LGBT audiences may have to sit through really dumb jokes and painful stereotypes of gay characters that grate on the nerves.

But then again, maybe we're being too sensitive. At the Friday night sneak preview of the movie, the largely straight male audience were really enjoying themselves, laughing away at every goofy joke and antic. So if it takes a dumb and tasteless film like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry to put across a half-baked message about gay tolerance to the less refined straight population, heck � we'll take it.