REVIEW: I Love You, Man (2009)

I Love You, Man

Rated: R

Runtime: 104 minutes

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel.

My rating: 3 stars

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I Love You, Man is a bromantic comedy. It is much funnier for men than for women, and not because of crude jokes.

This film is pretty tame on the “gross-out” humor, aside from one scene involving John Favreau, a blue shirt, what looked like Spaghettios and a lot of beer. You can use your imagination to figure out what’s funny in that combination.

I can’t imagine a cast including Paul Rudd and Jason Segel not being funny. This movie basically put them in a room together, told them the general plot and let them go off. The DVD gag reel will be entertaining in a few months.

Peter Klaven (Rudd) is a real estate agent in Los Angeles. He’s trying to sell Incredible Hulk actor, Lou Ferrigno’s house. He is also preparing to marry Zooey (Rashida Jones). The problem is that Peter has never had close, guy friends. He’s a “girlfriend guy” who enjoys watching Chocolat and The Devil Wear’s Prada in his spare time. He has no Best Man for his wedding.

He wants to find one and treats it as some men approach dating. He joins a male friend finder service on the internet, is set-up with a man by his gay brother (Andy Samberg), and he even meets someone through his mother. All attempts fail horribly, and his wedding day is rapidly approaching.

The set-up to I Love You, Man takes a little time. We have to first see how pathetic Peter actually is, and how socially inept he can be. Writers John Hamburg and Larry Levin capture the awkwardness of first meetings perfectly.

When people don’t click, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. We’ve all met someone we don’t necessarily like or want to be friends with, but we have to survive the encounter for however long it lasts. For some, that’s only in passing at a dinner gathering, and for others, it’s a blind date that will last a couple hours. This movie depicts those moments beautifully.

Peter gives up on finding a Best Man and now just wants a friend. Enter: Sydney Fife (Segel). He is a cool guy who doesn’t care what everyone else thinks of him. He’s fun, seems to have a lot of friends and actually clicks with Peter. They hit it off immediately.

The remainder of the film is a heavy dose of one-liners and awkward moments as Peter and Sydney feel each other out. We learn that really Sydney is essentially in the same place as Peter. Sydney’s friends are now married and have kids, careers and other things to worry about. He is alone.

The two feed off each other’s flaws and make for an odd, yet funny pair. It’s a relationship that at times displays heavy undertones of homosexuality. It got to the point where I wondered if Sydney actually was gay. It’s never truly determined if he is, but he doesn’t make a move on Peter.

They do have their problems and the bromance break-up scene is the most memorable one. The only remaining question is who will be the Best Man at Peter’s wedding? After all, that was the whole point of the film.

I Love You, Man has moments of brilliance in an otherwise forgettable movie. It’s nothing to rush out and see unless you are in need of a solid man-comedy. Maybe it can be a man-date for you and your bro.

This movie will find its audience through DVDs later due to its more mature themes, like marriage and adult-living without masses of friends. The teen crowd will pass on this and will struggle to connect with it. For the recent college grads like me – now a year out – and younger adults, it’s a very accurate representation of budding friendships and failed acquaintances. Three stars.

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Where it's playing?

Canton/Potsdam: Click here for current listings.

Watertown: Click here for current listings.

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