Two straight guys, who are best friends and work together as firemen, pretend to be gay so one of them qualifies for benefits he needs for his children. Adam Sandler plays the lead character of Chuck Levine. He is a firefighter. His best friend is Larry Valentine (played by Kevin James). Chuck is a babe magnet having been featured in the firefighter's hot-guys calendar. He has more sex with females than should be possible. Larry is more of a family guy and sadly his wife died leaving him responsible for his two kids. Because of Larry's not filing the paperwork properly after his wife died more than one year before, Larry learns his kids do not have any insurance coverage. The insurance benefits person Sara Powers (played by Rachel Dratch) tells Larry the only way to restore his benefits for his children is for Larry to have a new spouse or a domestic partner (gay man), which under the new laws in New York State are recognized as having the same rights as a spouse.
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At a fire, Larry saves Chuck's life. Chuck now owes Larry a debt to do whatever he can to support Larry, because Larry saved Chuck's life. Larry comes up with a plan for Chuck and Larry to pretend to be domestic partners, to go get a certificate at City Hall and use this so Larry can get the benefits he needs to protect his kids. The plan is to do this in secret, not to attract attention, and to do this domestic partnership only as a paperwork deal.
Unfortunately, for both Chuck and Larry, the New York City government is already aware of this scam and have a special investigator assigned to prosecute fraudulent cases. This investigator is named Clint Fitzer (played by Steve Buscemi). Fitzer is assigned to the case to determine if Chuck and Larry are really gay and in a loving relationship, which is protected under the New York City laws. Fitzer visits them and his suspicions increase because there is not enough evidence that Chuck and Larry are romantic partners. Fitzer warns them they will both go to jail if fraud is discovered. In response to this legal threat, Larry and Chuck come out publicly as gay (falsely in secret they are not) and try to act as gay as possible. Their attorney Alex McDonough, a female who has a gay brother, tries to help them prove they really are gay. The only problem is Chuck gets very sexually interested in the female attorney Alex. He goes on “girl-dates” with her, where they shop for lingerie, and during these intimate scenes, he has to hide his erection so she does not see it.
At the hearing to determine if Chuck and Larry's relationship is legitimate, Chuck and Larry give testimony about how much they love each other, which is all true as friends, but then to prove their sexual love for each other Fitzer asks them to publicly kiss. The Firehouse Chief (played by Danny Akroyd) interrupts them, and then gives testimony about how he knows for certain Chuck and Larry are not gay and the entire relationship is a fraud. But all the firemen rally around Chuck and Larry to defend them because their motivations were good. Still everyone is arrested. Everyone gets a reduced sentence by the fireman agreeing to pose for a semi-nude calendar to raise money for AIDS relief. Chuck gets a second chance with the female lawyer Alex who he really loves. Alex's gay brother marries a gay fireman who came out because of this ordeal. Chuck finds he is interested in a new woman and is ready to move on to a new life, capable of now letting go of the emotional pain from the death of his wife.
Best part of story, including ending:
It is very amusing to see straight men pretend to be gay and also see how much non-sexual love two guys can have for each other.
Best scene in story:
I like the scene when Chuck and Larry go to the store to buy more "gay" things for their house and how they decide what products are gay or not, is very funny.
Opinion about the main character:
Chuck becomes a much better person and is able to express his heterosexual, but also more sensitive feelings, in a more honest way to his girlfriend Alex, after he pretends to be gay. This is cool.
