I Love You, Man
Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones
Directed by John Hamburg (Along Came Polly)
Rated R for pervasive language, including crude and sexual references
Appropriate for ages 17+
Peter Klaven (Rudd) has always been a girlfriend kind of guy and has never had any close friends. When he discovers that his fiance has an issue with this, he goes on a mission to find a best friend in order to make his future wife happy. In his journey to find the proper bromance, he meets Sydney Fife (Segel), a fun-loving trouble-maker that gives him a new perspective on life.
The first thing that strikes me about this film is how brilliant the premise is. It’s so simple that I find it surprising that it has never been done before. The movie follows the traditional romantic comedy formula in a perfectly heterosexual manner. From his man-dates to his bromantic awakening, you enjoy watching Peter each step of the way.
Rudd and Segel both give stand-out performances here that show why they are both so hot in the comedy world right now. What I especially loved about Rudd’s performance was how imperfect he made his character. His nervous tongue-twisting seemed too natural. Most films of this sort are so witty that while they are still enjoyable, they seem a little unbelievable. Rudd, on the other hand, is lovably aloof and the performance shows how awkward his character really is when taken out of his element.
Overall, the comedy here is very well written and performed and most of the jokes hit like they are supposed to. The story comes with no surprises, which almost feels refreshing since most film makers would have thrown more conflict in just for the sake of having more conflict. I, for one, am glad they kept things so basic. A-