I Love You, Man (2009)
I Love You, Man(USA) Directed by John Hamburg Written by John Hamburg; Larry Levin Starring Paul Rudd; Rashida Jones; Jason Segel; Jaime Pressly; Andy Samberg; Jon Favreau; JK Simmons; Jane Curtain
Co-Written and Directed by John Hamburg (Safe Men; Along Came Polly), I Love You Manfollows in the footsteps of another Jason Segel/Paul Rudd vehicle, I Love You Sarah Marshall. Combining comedy with a relatively plausible (albeit exaggerated) plot, Peter Klaven (Rudd) is a real estate broker who gets engaged to girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones). When he overhears his wife and her friends talking disparagingly about him having no close male friends, however, he decides he needs to meet some guys to be a part of his wedding and prove he’s not the overly clingy type. The concept eventually gets a bit strained (the joke being that Peter’s meeting guys is like gay dating), but the characters are appealing enough to keep things moving. Professionally, Peter dreams of developing some land for a multi-use complex, but he needs to make some more money to make it happen. He gets a listing from celebrity Lou Ferrigno (in a mostly successful turn as a version of himself), which is a step up from the smaller homes he’s been selling. As his previous man dates have not gone well, he is overjoyed when, at the Ferrigno open house, he meets slightly off-kilter Sydney Fife (Segel). After exchanging business cards, the duo then embark on a mismatched bromance of sorts. Sydney’s motto involves always being as blunt as possible and essentially doing what he wants, a philosophy that is anathema to nice, passive Peter. This is a fairly standard formula in the buddy comedy sub-genre, and the set-up of wacko friends, conservative buddy, and beautiful, understanding, but eventually fed up wife was seen as recently as You, Me, and Dupree (2006). It is also similar to a previous Hamburg offering, Along Came Polly, where an uptight guy meets a quirky, free-spirited gal. In this case, in the end, the offbeat pal (naturally) puts the uptight one through the ringer, but eventually teaches him that he has to loosen up and be himself to be happier; and the irresponsible friend learns a bit about love and commitment and the importance of wielding one’s personal freedom responsibly. Bleckkk. But so what? The thing here is the jokes and the pace, and for the most part I Love You, Manis a lot of fun, and while not all of the bits work there are enough laugh out loud moments to differentiate it from most of the recent run of the mill Hollywood comedies. Lots of good supporting help from Jaime Pressly as Zooey’s friend Denise; Jon Favreau as Denise’s angry husband, who hates Peter; Andy Samberg as Peter’s gay brother Robbie; and JK Simmons and Jane Curtin as Peter’s Parents.