Worried ‘Chuck and Larry’ is anti-gay? You ain’t seen nothing yet
COMMENTARY
By Dave White
MSNBC contributor
In the line of duty for my job as a professional watcher of movies, I saw “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” last night. And for all my fellow gays out there who were put off by the trailer — you know, the one where Adam Sandler and his faux-boyfriend Kevin James would sooner give each other a knuckle sandwich than a chaste little kiss, even if it means
blowing the scam they’re running and losing pension benefits for James’ children — I can officially tell you that it’s not an anti-gay movie. It is, in fact, so cutely rah-rah-gays-rah it makes “Hairspray” seem like it was created by a think-tank of bigots. Everyone learns a lesson about how it’s wrong to say that six-letter (or three-letter, depending on your preferred spelling) F-word that Ann Coulter likes to toss around, and then there’s lots of warm hugs for everyone. This type of film, though, is still relatively new on the mainstream landscape. Because while gay filmmakers have been making gay-themed films for a while now, movies that have moved past the whole “I am not an animal! I am a human being! I need the approval of Adam Sandler!” thing, it turns out that — surprise — lots of heterosexuals still seem to need reminding that gays deserve simple common decency and respect.
The evidence? Only the history of gay characters from the beginning of Hollywood till… oh… now. It’s enough to make you thank your parents for waiting until after the Stonewall riots to conceive you. And here’s the tangible proof, a batch of movies (and really, just the tip of a huge iceberg) from the pre-rainbow days of homo unhappiness and invisibility. Watch them if you dare...
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*MSNBC
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