'I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY' (R)(out of four)

Adam Sandler and Kevin James play straight guys pretending to be a gay couple in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."

Not that there's anything wrong with that. There really isn't anything wrong with the movie; there's just not much that's really right, either. Actually, you have to give them credit for taking on such a subject that was bound to tick someone off. And it probably will.

Whether it wants to be or not, "Chuck and Larry" is a message movie about the unfairness of discrimination. After New York firefighter Larry Valentine (James) finds himself a widower with two kids and no one to look after them should something happen to him, he turns to wild bachelor and fellow fireman Chuck Levine (Sandler).

Mixed in with every gay cliche you can imagine, including a Village People-type disco party, an oops-I-dropped-the-soap-in-the-shower scene, macho men confronting their feminine sides, and anti-gay protesters, there are some bright sides that only a Sandler movie can pull off, including some incredible cameos including plenty of "SNL" alums. It's worth the price of admission to see David Spade in a sexy bunny costume.

What is taxing, however, is to try to force a laugh at blatant stereotyping. For example, Ving Rhames is one of the baddest SOBs when we first meet him in the opening of the film, but when he decides to have his own epiphany, he immediately turns into a fop with a limp wrist. Rhames must really owe something to Sandler because his shockingly embarrassing naked disco shower dance should've never made it to the screen.

If you really lived in the world of "Chuck and Larry, your postman would come out to you by using mailman lingo -- "special delivery, first class, back-door visits" -- you get the gist. All lesbians would look or act like men and all straight women would be drop-dead gorgeous and parade around in front of men in skimpy Vickie's Secret panties and bras. Even a honey blonddoctor wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to don a corset and engage in a female orgy with Hooters girls.

But, of course, the only two not locked into the stereotyping are James and Sandler. So is that the reason why they are the only characters with any dimension? The whole movie is more confusing than the final scene of "The Crying Game."

Of course, when the guys need a lawyer to help them with an investigation, it's no surprise that Alex, played by Jessica Biel, is so sexy that Chuck Levine questions his sexuality. Oh, wait, he's not really gay.

Although the movie is billed as "Chuck and Larry," it's difficult for James to play co-star to Sandler's star power. Sandler's drop-dead delivery is in top form, which is refreshing after his most recent odd movie choice, "Reign On Me." (See Review.)

To be fair, you don't go to an Adam Sandler movie to not laugh at one-liners and, truth be told, find some antics offensive, so why not just keep it that way? The film's sappy ending -- complete with a little girl's speech about animals in the wild that mate with same-sex partners -- makes the film's message of tolerance and acceptance as fraudulent as Larry Valentine's domestic partnership papers. True Sandler fans should skip "Chuck and Larry" and watch "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" for the umpteenth time.