In the weeks leading up to July 20, we will have been treated to: Steve Carell as a neo-Noah, Bruce Willis dying hard (but hardly dying) once again, an atypical animated rat with dreams of becoming the next Anthony Bourdain (and God help him if he achieves that), machine-creatures that are more than meet the eye, and Harry Potter's latest attempt to find a spell that will cure unsightly teenage blemishes. On this particular weekend, however, there will be a respite, of sorts, from the steady diet of sensory-overload fare that is so prevalent in summer. Though the budgets may be smaller, they have no less potential for success (or failure): I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Hairspray, and Sunshine.

I suppose it's a sign of stardom or notoriety that a studio has enough confidence in a comic actor to release a movie starring said actor in the throes of summer ... by that measure, I guess Adam Sandler has achieved super-stardom. In summer 2005, he helped pull in over $158 million with a remake of the classic '70s football/prison comedy The Longest Yard; one year later, he pulled in yet another $137 million with his love-it-or-hate-it time-bending comedy Click; and now, here he is again, teaming with King of Queens star Kevin James in his third consecutive summer headliner, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (July 20).

Like Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler has a considerable fan base, which pretty much guarantees that any film featuring either of them in their element will be a success. Which, I suppose, is cold comfort for Sandler, given that every time he's attempted to step out of that particular box since the turn of the millennium (in Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish and Reign Over Me), he's been met with non-existent-to-lukewarm ticket sales, critical praise notwithstanding. And that's a shame, because as funny as he is, how long can we really expect him to play the same loveable doof?

But I digress. In this particular story, Sandler and James play the titular Chuck and Larry, two New York City firefighters and lifelong friends who decide to pretend to get married, even though they are not remotely gay. Why, you ask? Well, when Larry loses his wife, he decides to name his children as the beneficiaries of his pension ... you know, just in case. Unfortunately, the process apparently takes a long time, and a subsequent brush with death sends Larry scurrying to find another solution, which he does, in the form of a legal loophole. The rest you can probably figure out.

Given Sandler's obvious comic timing and charisma, it's hard to see this film failing. Add to that the presence of current "it" girl Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames and Dan Aykroyd (welcome back, Dan, I've really missed you), and you've got an almost surefire blockbuster, a worthwhile partner to Knocked Up and License to Wed in this summer of skewed love stories.

Of course, remember that this was directed by Dennis Dugan, who has nowhere to go but up after last year's abysmal The Benchwarmers. But his previous collaborations with Sandler (Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy) remain beloved comedy classics to this day, and the skinny on Chuck & Larry is that it's stereotypical without being too offensive, sweet without being sappy and funny as hell. (Note: That's two straight Kevin James movies where he's attempted to kiss his male co-star ... wonder who'll be the lucky guy be in his next flick?)

As I stated last week, having Chuck & Larry on your roster at all is only an option if you have decided to forego victory in the Box Office category. (It is mathematically impossible to have this film in tandem with either Transformers or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in July-September Box Office leagues, and pairing them up in July-September Ultimate leagues would leave you less than $10 to fill out your remaining roster.) Assuming that's the way you want to go, this is a must-have.

With tags of $37 and $31 in the BO/U leagues, respectively, this and the similarly-priced The Simpsons Movie and The Bourne Ultimatum are about your only bets for decent dollars in the Box Office category. (In my opinion, you'll need two of those titles at least.) Fantasy Moguls predicts four PTA points, nine Top 5 points and User Ratings of 6.9, which sounds about right, although I think ratings in the mid-to-high 7's may be more likely.

Okay, before I find myself over a barrel critiquing this next film, let me get a few things out of the way: I don't care much for musicals. I've never been a fan of anything that sprang from the mind of John Waters. And John Travolta, for me, has been hit or miss (mostly miss) for most of the last 10 years. So please, don't misunderstand when I say that I don't wish Hairspray (July 20) any actual harm ... it's just not my bag.

I'm going to assume director/choreographer Adam Shankman (Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier) is basically telling the same story (set in 1962) that Waters did back in 1988. What both versions also have in common is an all-star cast: Jerry Stiller is now Christopher Walken, Debbie Harry is now Michelle Pfeiffer, and the late transvestite actor Divine is now the aforementioned Travolta, who dons wig, makeup and fat suit to play Edna Turnblad, mother of the plus-sized central character, Tracy Turnblad.

Tracy, it seems, is obsessed with appearing on her favorite TV music & dance show, and when the opportunity presents itself for her to audition, she jumps at it. What starts out as a tale of dream fulfillment, teenage rivalry and Broadway-tinged revenge, unexpectedly takes a left turn into sociopolitical relevance, as Tracy becomes a champion for racial desegregation. Stepping into Ricki Lake's shoes is 18-year-old actress Nikki Blonsky, making her film debut. (Hmmm ... Ricki and Nikki ... interesting little coincidence there.) James Marsden, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelly, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Snow, Allison Janney and even Queen Latifah herself round out this pretty impressive cast.

I suppose if you're going to release something this radically different from the norm, summer is the best time to do it. Summer is, after all, the season for guilty pleasures, and kooky musicals featuring music from the golden age of rock 'n' roll definitely fit into this category. But even so, is there enough guilt out there to make Hairspray a success? I remain doubtful.

Current Fantasy Moguls projections call for two PTA points, four Top 5 points, User Ratings of 5.9, and $60 million in total revenues. I think those numbers represent the maximum possible output for this film, and I would be surprised if this film even cleared $45 million. It'll run you $16 in July-September Ultimate leagues ($17 for Box Office), which doesn't exactly make it a bargain. You might be better off taking similarly-priced titles such as Hot Rod, Rush Hour 3 or The Invasion. This film will come and go fairly quickly, and then Ms. Blonsky can get on with the rest of her career, which will probably include massive weight fluctuations, a marriage and divorce to a political illustrator, and an afternoon talk show.

Now, before I start talking about the third-most noteworthy feature opening on July 20, namely Sunshine, I'm going to throw things in reverse and give you the raw data first. (I'll explain why in just a bit.) This film will run you $7 in both types of leagues, and it is expected to garner one single point in both PTA and Top 5, as well as $19 million in total revenues. Well, PTA will depend on how many theaters it's shown in, but that one Top 5 is a reach. It's sure to be beaten by Transformers, Harry Potter, Chuck & Larry, and probably Hairspray, which means it'll have to battle Ratatouille and Live Free or Die Hard for that one measly point.

Is it worth having, then? Well, in Box Office leagues, probably not. Despite its mostly-favorable reviews (again, more on that in a bit), sci-fi flicks, even summer ones, are a hard sell, especially given its relatively modest budget ($50 million). The cast features a few recognizable names: Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Batman Begins), Rose Byrne (Troy), Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and even Chris Evans (Fantastic Four), who turns in, I'm led to believe, a surprisingly deep and intelligent performance. But none of these are marquee names, and director Danny Boyle, who gave us such impressive films as Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, is just not famous enough (in the U.S., anyway), to put butts in seats.

Why, then, would it be worth having? Well, comparing it to other selections in the July-September league with a similar price, Sunshine is positively radiant. Aye, though, here be the rub: this film was originally scheduled for a March release, but its U.S. distributor got a bit antsy at the prospect of releasing it against 300, Wild Hogs, Meet the Robinsons and Blades of Glory, so it pushed it to out to July. Eh, six of one, half dozen of the other. But the rest of the world saw no reason to delay its opening, which means that Sunshine already has some mileage under its belt, as well as a firmly-established User Rating.

Now, for the same amount of money, you could also choose Skinwalkers, BRATZ or Charlie Bartlett, all of which open later on in the league and none of which will come close to matching Sunshine's User Rating of 7.3 (with over 11,000 votes tabulated thus far). Underdog will probably be the best dollar-to-dollar performer in the same price range, but its ratings will be a dog's dinner (heh). War is about the only other pick that might outdo Sunshine in all four categories, not the least of which is because it comes out in late August, by which time all of the major blockbusters will have run their course. Pick your poison.

As for the movie itself, what I've gathered from reading several reviews (include that of Fantasy Moguls regular numbersix_99) is that it is well-made, but unmemorable. This story, about a group of scientists trying to save humanity by re-igniting our dying sun, is visually stunning, but drags in places. It's well-acted, well-cast, and the palpable air of loneliness (that is a fitting companion for any space travel film) is precisely what will simultaneously keep most people away and please the ones who do show up to see it. Given the lack of scary aliens or space battles, I've heard this film called a sci-fi/horror movie akin to Event Horizon, or a disaster movie like The Core, but I'm reasonably confident that Sunshine will stand up much, much better than those two failures.

Well, that's about all the time I have today. Special mention, once again, to fellow movie buffs kid_icarus and numbersix_99 for teaching me humility. You are chick magnets, gods among men, masters of all you survey ... do I really have to read this out loud?? (Sh-click.) Um, yeah, anyway, they're really swell guys.

Now, assuming I'll be able to stand up again after all this bowing and scraping, I'll talk to you all next week, when I'll be rounding out July and kicking down the door of August, with three more films, all (interestingly enough) comedies: the long-awaited (?) The Simpsons Movie, the Catherine Zeta-Jones/Aaron Eckhart rom-com foodie No Reservations, and Andy Samberg's first post-Saturday Night Live vehicle, Hot Rod.

TTFN!

Shrykespeare is no longer accepting bets. Unless you disagree with him that no July-September Box Office league can be won without the benefit of Transformers or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in which case, bring it on, Mr. Intelligent Trousers. Send your stakes to shrykespeare@gmail.com.