Nathan Lee of the Village Voice:

Tremendously savvy in its stupid way, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is as eloquent as Brokeback Mountain, and even more radical. "The gay cowboy movie" liberated desires latent in the classic western, and made them palpable (and palatable) by channeling them into the strictures of another genre, romantic tragedy. Progressive values were advanced by a retreat to a traditional mode of storytelling, the love that dare not speak its name rendered intelligible through the universal language of the upscale weepy.

Chuck and Larry takes this strategy much further, baiting a far less adventuresome demographic. Gay themes won't deter the Sandler cult, who can rely on their man not to be a fag. And that, precisely, is the canny maneuver here. Our pussy-loving men's men are New York City firefighters to boot, the very embodiment of all-American heroism (and object of gay fetishism).

John Anderson of Newsday:

Kevin James? His Larry isn't a long trip from "King of Queens," forever perpetuating the idea of the domesticated American male as an exasperated dope - a proud tradition stretching from Homer Simpson to Ralph Kramden. What are meant to be his sensitive moments are indigestible.

But the most appalling aspect of "C&L" is Rob Schneider, who plays the owner of a wedding chapel and offers up the most offensive Asian caricature since Mickey Rooney's notorious yellow-face performance in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." What were they thinking? Simple: They weren't.

David Foucher of EDGE Boston:

What’s most fun about "I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry" is the fact that it’s so seditious; in large part, the movie is an overwritten, badly-cast mess - and yet it will make the millions of Adam Sandler fans understand what intolerance feels like even as they squirm through their laughter. It works surprisingly well, and not because we haven’t seen gay epithets, especially incredibly stereotypical gay epithets. It works because they’re hurled at straight guys.

Mahnola Dargis of the NY Times (Subscription required):

Sporadically funny, casually sexist, blithely racist and about as visually sophisticated as a parking-garage surveillance video.

Kevin Carr of 7(m):

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” isn’t perfect by far. Too many scenes fizzle out with stale jokes and bad punch lines. However, when the movie is funny, it is hilarious. And, while it takes on the issues of gay rights, it avoids a preachy tone, which is refreshing to see in a movie nowadays.

Sean Axmaker of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

It's kind of like "Tootsie," only without the drag. Or the class. Or the laughs. Only that last bit should prove a problem for Sandler's core audience.

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" plods through every narrative cliche and cultural stereotype with predictable results, but as if their triumph over prejudice isn't enough, it transforms the faux same-sex couple into heroes. That straight buffoons become the out and proud poster boys of New York's gay community is a backhanded slap that the film plays as some kind of bold gesture.

Jack Mathews of the NY Daily News:

Directed with his usual flair for the obvious by Dennis Dugan ("The Benchwarmers), "Chuck and Larry" has the nowness factor of a Polish joke. Does anybody laugh at this stuff anymore?

Mike Vissichelli of FireFLAG/EMS (a gay firefighter group in New York):

The film shows the journey that gay firefighters go through in their careers, the brotherhood of firefighters, and ultimately their respect for one another based on actions and deeds. Over the years, the FDNY and its members have become more supportive of gay firefighters and have made strides in improving how they are treated on the job. FireFLAG/EMS supports this progress and is actively involved in the department’s actions on gay-related issues. 'Chuck and Larry' is, of course, a comedy and some of the humor may be considered offensive to some, but the growth of the principal characters during the course of the film is the ultimate measure of how to judge the intent and heart of the filmmakers.