Directed By: John Hamburg.
Written By: John Hamburg & Larry Levin.
Starring: Paul Rudd (Peter Klaven), Jason Segel (Sydney Fife), Rashida Jones (Zooey), Sarah Burns (Hailey), Jaime Pressly (Denise), J.K. Simmons (Oswald Klaven), Andy Samberg (Robbie Klaven), Jane Curtin (Joyce Klaven), Jon Favreau (Barry), Thomas Lennon (Doug), Rob Huebel (Tevin Downey), Mather Zickel (Gil), Lou Ferrigno (Himself).
There are some movies that when you watch them, you feel that they are made just for you. I Love You, Man is a movie like that for me. The main character Peter (Paul Rudd) is a guy who never quite seems to fit in with the group. He is awkward in his attempts to make friends, and to just share the same space as other people.
His body language makes him always seem a little too tense. You can tell he’s always on the verge of saying something, but holds back. When he gets the words out, you can tell it took a considerable effort on his part. He tries hard – too hard – to fit in, and his attempts at sounding cool or funny always seem to go horribly wrong. What this has ended up meaning is that Peter doesn’t really have any friends. He is a kind, sensitive guy, and has always gotten along well with women – even women he is not dating – but with men, there is something just kind of off about him. In short, Peter is me.
None of this has ever really seemed like a problem for Peter. He is relatively happy. He has a gorgeous woman in his life, Zooey (Rashida Jones), who he is in love with and is going to marry soon. His best friend is his mother, and for the most part he is relatively happy. But one day he arrives home early to find his wife and her girlfriends sitting around talking. Oblivious to the fact that he is there, they talk about him, and everyone says he’s a great guy – but isn’t it weird that he has no guy friends? I mean, what is wrong with him?
So Peter sets himself a goal of trying to find at least one guy friend. The film shows us a series of his attempted “man dates”, that go horribly wrong. Then, almost by accident, he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segal). Sydney is at the open house that Peter is throwing to try and sell Lou Ferrigno’s house. He’s not there to actually buy a house, but there because these classy open houses always have nice food, and it’s a good way to meet divorcees. Sydney is everything that Peter is not – comfortable in his own skin. The two become friends, and Syd
ney teaches Peter how to loosen up, relax and just have fun.
These two characters are so well observed, and so well acted by Rudd and Segal, that it elevates the movie beyond just another comedy. Yes, there are a few gross out gags (including one unnecessary scene involving projectile vomit – it’s a real thing), but most of the comedy springs for these two characters. They never seem to be delivering punch lines – although almost every other line of dialogue is funny – but rather they are acting like these characters should act. The dynamic of their relationship is perfect. Every Peter needs a Sydney – that friend who is willing to do whatever stupid thing pops into his head, so that you do not have to. And every Sydney needs a Peter – someone to keep him more grounded and real. These two belong together.
If I have made this sound like a romantic comedy between two guys, that’s because that is essentially what this movie is. Poor Rashida Jones, a very talented comedic actress herself, is stuck playing the straight man for most of the movie. Her character isn’t as well developed as eit
her Peter’s or Sydney’s, but she is so lovable that she sells it anyway. The rest of the supporting cast – J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtain, Andy Samburg, Sarah Burns and Lou Ferrigno himself – are all just about pitch perfect in their small roles. I particularly loved Jamie Pressly and Jon Favreau as one of those married couples who seem to downright hate each other, but you can tell, underneath the surface, they are somehow perfect together.
I Love You, Man is one of the best comedies of the year. It is funnier than pretty much everything Hollywood puts out, and that’s because the movie takes the time the set up the characters and their relationships, and build real people out of them. While to a certain extent, these people are guinea pigs jumping through the typical hoops of the screenwriters notebook, we don’t care, because they feel real.
There are some movies that when you watch them, you feel that they are made just for you. I Love You, Man is a movie like that for me. The main character Peter (Paul Rudd) is a guy who never quite seems to fit in with the group. He is awkward in his attempts to make friends, and to just share the same space as other people.
His body language makes him always seem a little too tense. You can tell he’s always on the verge of saying something, but holds back. When he gets the words out, you can tell it took a considerable effort on his part. He tries hard – too hard – to fit in, and his attempts at sounding cool or funny always seem to go horribly wrong. What this has ended up meaning is that Peter doesn’t really have any friends. He is a kind, sensitive guy, and has always gotten along well with women – even women he is not dating – but with men, there is something just kind of off about him. In short, Peter is me.None of this has ever really seemed like a problem for Peter. He is relatively happy. He has a gorgeous woman in his life, Zooey (Rashida Jones), who he is in love with and is going to marry soon. His best friend is his mother, and for the most part he is relatively happy. But one day he arrives home early to find his wife and her girlfriends sitting around talking. Oblivious to the fact that he is there, they talk about him, and everyone says he’s a great guy – but isn’t it weird that he has no guy friends? I mean, what is wrong with him?
So Peter sets himself a goal of trying to find at least one guy friend. The film shows us a series of his attempted “man dates”, that go horribly wrong. Then, almost by accident, he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segal). Sydney is at the open house that Peter is throwing to try and sell Lou Ferrigno’s house. He’s not there to actually buy a house, but there because these classy open houses always have nice food, and it’s a good way to meet divorcees. Sydney is everything that Peter is not – comfortable in his own skin. The two become friends, and Syd
ney teaches Peter how to loosen up, relax and just have fun.These two characters are so well observed, and so well acted by Rudd and Segal, that it elevates the movie beyond just another comedy. Yes, there are a few gross out gags (including one unnecessary scene involving projectile vomit – it’s a real thing), but most of the comedy springs for these two characters. They never seem to be delivering punch lines – although almost every other line of dialogue is funny – but rather they are acting like these characters should act. The dynamic of their relationship is perfect. Every Peter needs a Sydney – that friend who is willing to do whatever stupid thing pops into his head, so that you do not have to. And every Sydney needs a Peter – someone to keep him more grounded and real. These two belong together.
If I have made this sound like a romantic comedy between two guys, that’s because that is essentially what this movie is. Poor Rashida Jones, a very talented comedic actress herself, is stuck playing the straight man for most of the movie. Her character isn’t as well developed as eit
her Peter’s or Sydney’s, but she is so lovable that she sells it anyway. The rest of the supporting cast – J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtain, Andy Samburg, Sarah Burns and Lou Ferrigno himself – are all just about pitch perfect in their small roles. I particularly loved Jamie Pressly and Jon Favreau as one of those married couples who seem to downright hate each other, but you can tell, underneath the surface, they are somehow perfect together.I Love You, Man is one of the best comedies of the year. It is funnier than pretty much everything Hollywood puts out, and that’s because the movie takes the time the set up the characters and their relationships, and build real people out of them. While to a certain extent, these people are guinea pigs jumping through the typical hoops of the screenwriters notebook, we don’t care, because they feel real.
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