Movie Review: I Love You, Man

(Source)

I Love You, Man (2009)

Director: John Hamburg
Producer: Donald De Line, John Hamburg
Distributor: DreamWorks Pictures
Release Date: March 20, 2009
Running Time: 105 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Rating: R

Trailer

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a real estate agent, proposes to his girlfriend Zooey Rice (Rashida Jones); both happily become engaged. The conflict is that Peter seem to not have any close friends to share the good news with: only family and superficial (mainly female) acquaintances. After overhearing Zooey's female friends voicing their concerns over his lack of close male friends, Peter realizes his abnormality and decides that he needs to find male friends in order to have a best man for the upcoming wedding. (Source) Which leads him on a series of man-dates and to meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel).

Movie Tags: Comedy, Goofy, "Guy" humour

Note: Please note R rating.

First as foremost, the language of this film.

Now that that's out of the way, this film was hilarious. Not in a series of fart jokes/potty humour sort of way. Not a let's talk like men in locker rooms about women sort of way. But a genuine high quality entertainment of trying to understand how men having friendships, works.
What things are open for discussion, what conversational topics needs to be prompted or have the right situation to be acceptable.

Along with that concept, the different levels of seriousness in friendship. Just because you talk to someone everyday, do a regular activity together, doesn't mean you know them as well as you think. Doesn't even mean they're your 'friend' just because you cross paths a lot, it involves taking that extra step to actually get to know someone.

Rudd's character, Peter, is timid in every sense of the word. Along with awkward. This many defines it.
He so unsure of how to be himself in social situations, especially those that are among other males. Constantly being a 'try hard' and fumbling to be one of the 'cool guys'. Is cringe-worthy to sit through.
Enter Sydney, Segel's character. Who see Peter as a nice guy, sure he's socially awkward, fairly square and rigid, but he's honest. Which say something about a person.

The combination of the actors and two characters they created together is heart warming, cue fart joke. Just kidding!

Being someone that in their adult life struggles to have friends I consider to be in my inner circle, this film hit a little close to home. It's not always easy to make friends, have relationships outside of work, or even be able to have the same friendship you once had with someone from high school.

The only negative point I feel the need to bring attention to, what I thought, is the very obvious signs pointing to this being "written by a man". There just off about the female roles at times. There are certain disagreements and topics I felt were almost robot like in how they reacted or behaved in those situations. However on the other hand the argument could be, the story wasn't really about them.


I adore Paul Rudd and am fairly fond of Jason Segel. While I've swooned over Paul Rudd in almost every roles he's done since Clueless, I'm always a little wary about Jason Segel's humour and performances. Having experienced some of his hit-and-miss roles throughout his career.
This one is particular shows his more charming side while not ignoring the fact his character is also crude, blunt, and only occasionally vulgar.


Recommend: Adult humour, awkward situational humour, quirkiness, and comedy, guy humour.

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