I Love You, Man

New Movie Review.

Written by John Hamburg and Larry Levin
Directed by John Hamburg
Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg


I've said it before, we are living in a truly wonderful era of comedy, and it has shown no signs of stopping. This is mostly attributable to Judd Apatow who has reinvented the adult comedy and is responsible for bringing attention to a new generation of comedic actors. Most of the great comedies of recent years have either been produced, written, or directed by Judd Apatow. His name is absent from the credits of I Love you, Man, but his influence is easily detectable. Also, the two stars of the film, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, are Apatow regulars.

The plot is simple and at first glance, trivial. Real estate agent Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) gets engaged to Zooey (Rashida Jones). Peter realizes he doesn't have any close guy friends, and he begins a search for a friend he can make his best man at his wedding. He keeps this secret from his fiancee, but his mother and gay brother Robbie (Andy Samberg) actively try to help him and set him up on "man dates" which, of course, lead to some hilarious results. Meanwhile, Peter is trying to sell Lou Ferrigno's (TV's The Incredible Hulk, playing himself) House. At an open house he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), the first promising candidate for the best man position. He is not at the open house because he is interested in buying a home but rather to pick up girls and eat free food. Sydney is pretty much the opposite of Peter.

Peter gets along with women better than he does with men, as he is an honest, sensitive type. Sydney is open and in touch with his manliness, and perhaps in a way, is even more honest. Peter is about as awkward as possible, straining to act cool and failing miserably in every scene. Paul Rudd handles the comedic timing wonderfully, and manages to earn a laugh every time Peter tries to impress. Sydney is effortlessly cool. He invites Peter to his home, and shows him his garage which has been converted into "The Man Cave" complete with several TVs, every instrument needed for a rock band and even what Sydney refers to as a "jerk-off station". Essentially, Sydney is a guy friend we would all like to have. He is incredibly fun and helps Peter loosen up and enjoy himself. Sydney speaks frankly about everything, but not in an obscene way like this type of character might in a poorer comedy, rather he is open and helps those he speaks to to open up as well. It is remarkable that Jason Segel takes this hedonistic character and makes him into a plausible, human best friend.

Both lead actors do a tremendous job of making the movie feel authentic. Paul Rudd has established himself as yet another Apatow regular who can be a dependable leading man. Jason Segel finally departs from his sensitive guy character he has been playing since Freaks & Geeks, and is just as effective. We love these characters equally, and it's mostly because it is easy to relate to them. Some might relate more to Peter, some to Sydney. Either way, I think if you connect to the film personally, as I did, there is something behind the laughter worth discovering.

I Love You, Man is consistently burst out laughing funny as well as somewhat serious and real. It's very exciting to see that there are other film makers and writers who can maintain the level of quality that Judd Apatow has introduced to the genre. Using actors familiar with this style helps, I imagine, but more importantly it is that Apatow has shown that making comedies shouldn't be about grossing people out, or creating ridiculously silly situations, or having the most gratuitousness possible. It's about making something real, connecting with the audience, and finding things we can all laugh about.