I Love You, Man

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Rashida Jones, Andy Samburg

Director: John Hamberg

I haven’t been laughing enough lately. There are lots of reasons for this, most of which I do not want to discuss here. Let’s just say I’ve really needed a laugh this week. So, I was fairly excited by the release of the new comedy I Love You, Man. I’ve come to think that Paul Rudd has the best comedic timing of anyone currently making movies, but is also quite a subtle actor as well, and Jason Segal was the writer and star of my favorite comedy from last year, Forgetting Sarah Marshall(in which Paul Rudd played had a really hilarious small part.) I got off work early Saturday night, and, having no other plans, went to the movies for a good laugh.

I’m pleased to report that I Love You, Man is a very, very funny movie. A little schmaltzy at times, and a bit rough around the edges, but well worth the price of admission, and has some great laughs. The set up is pretty original, and believable. Peter(Rudd), is a really nice guy. He’s dating Zooey(Jones) and has decided to ask for her hand in marriage. She says yes, and things are looking good. There’s one problem. Peter is a “girlfriend guy.” He’s great with women, and great at being a boyfriend, but he has literally no male friends…making the wedding party a bit lopsided. So he sets out to find himself a guy friend, and hopefully a best man.

This leads him on several “man-dates” and fix-ups from family and friends, some of which are hilarious. Of course there is the poker game, which he completely ruins in a spectacular way. Funniest projectile vomiting scene ever…”that’s a real thing.” Then, of course, there is the gay man who thinks they are on a real date…ending in a very, very uncomfortable moment for Peter. Things are not going well, and Peter has all but given until the Sydney(Segal) turns up at an open house Peter is hosting to sell Lou Ferrigno’s Hollywood estate. Yes, that Lou Ferrigno, in a silly role as himself. In any case, Peter and Sydney hit it off well, and start hanging out.

An odd couple for our time, Peter is all introverted energy and Sydney is all extroverted bravado, we spend most of the movie watching the two men rub off on each other…not in that way. It’s strictly platonic here. We see Peter becoming more of a typical guy, whilst still trying to find the balance with the man he is. Meanwhile, Sydney, whose friends are all married, parents, or just grown-ups, slowly begins to see that maybe there is more to things than just hanging around jerking off and screwing women at random. Through all of this, Peter’s fiancée…really nice to see Rashida Jones spreading her wings from her character on The Office, tries to roll with the changes in her man. Even tagging along to see a Rush show with Peter and Sydney. For the record, I enjoy Rush every now and again…but I never had any desire to see them live until this movie.

When it all comes down to it, this is a pretty typical romantic comedy with some brilliant role-reversal. As a guy of a certain age, I don’t have a lot of friends, and most of them are married and parents and in committed relationships, etc… I could really identify with both of the main characters here. And I think most guys will feel the same. Will women identify with this film? I don’t know. I think so. There were several women in the audience, and they were all laughing. But they were also all with boyfriends, or guy friends, or whatever, so who knows if they were genuinely entertained. Maybe they were just there to ogle Paul Rudd.

This is not a great film. It lacks the wit of a Knocked Up or a Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and it could have used the direction that those movies greatly benefited from. There are moments here that the timing is off or the mood is wrong, and there are several times that Hamberg(whose Along Came Polly I hated and has many of the same problems) stays with a funny moment just a little bit too long(it’s such a fine line between funny and awkward), not to mention wasting the talents of Jon Favreau, Jamie Pressley, and the great Jane Curtain and J.K. Simmons. Overall, it is a fine film that says a lot about the male condition. That might be an overstatement. It doesn’t really say that much about the male condition. For that, I suggest watching Fight Club. But if you are just in the mood for a good laugh, check out I Love You, Man. And count down the days until Observe and Report…the next comedy on my radar.