Chuck und Larry – Wie Feuer und Flamme (2007)

Chuck und Larry – Wie Feuer und Flamme: Directed by Dennis Dugan. With Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd. Two straight, single Brooklyn firefighters pretend to be a gay couple in order to receive domestic partner benefits.

“A requiem is a service intended to express the emotions and beliefs of the survivors at the death of a loved one. A requiem is not an autopsy to determine the cause of death, and if Spike Lee intended a requiem, I think he has succeeded. Criticism that this film is not analytical and precise is actually a complaint that this was not an autopsy–but none was intended.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne day a documentary may be made which closely follows the chronology of the storm and the failure of the levees. A documentary may more closely focus on the devastation of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the equally shameful failure of government to deal with the problem there. A documentary may be made which focuses on how daily life has changed for those of us who survived. I donu0026#39;t think Spike Lee intended to cover all of those points. The points he did address were very well presented.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film is outstanding at communicating the grief, suffering and frustrations of the persons shown in the film. It is a very moving expression of emotion and belief, which is the purpose of a requiem.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI donu0026#39;t think the lack of government response is simply and solely attributable to racism, but that may be because I am white. In the film, that opinion was frequently expressed, but I also note that there were also some opinions expressed about the levees being intentionally dynamited. I think Spike Lee undercut the impact of his major premise by including a rumor that seems similar to the myths of Bigfoot or Elvis being alive.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI think the gross government ineptitude, inertia and political games are all well-documented, and the bottom line is that those persons who were financially able to take care of themselves fared better than those who were not–itu0026#39;s a matter of class and wealth, and not so much a matter of race.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn yesterdayu0026#39;s news, it was noted that Congress earlier appropriated $17 billion to build new houses in the affected areas, and that as of this date (August 22, 2006), not a single house has been built with that money in either Louisiana or Mississippi.”