Can a Judd Apatow style comedy succeed without Apatow’s name listed anywhere in the credits?
“I Love You, Man” thrives, and then some, thanks in part to Apatow’s comedy troupe fleshing out the film’s critical roles.
But “Man” is also a testimony to Apatow’s impact on the modern movie comedy. No longer must we endure brain-dead rom-coms and Sandra Bullock features for scraps of cinematic humor.
No, the bar has been raised, and “Man” rises right up to it.
The great Paul Rudd stars as Peter Klaven, a sensitive type about to marry his sweetheart, Zooey (Rashida Jones). He’s always been a girlfriend guy, the type who disappears into a relationship so deeply his male friends get pushed aside as a result.
So when he starts thinking about who’ll be his best man, he comes up blank.
What to do? He sets out on a series of man dates, one more disastrous than the next, until he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a slob’s slob who clicks with Peter in true bromance fashion. They rock out, eat bad food and talk about women.
But can Peter juggle a new relationship and prep for his wedding day?
“I Love You, Man” begins with a killer premise, the kind of gimmick that in past years would be where a film’s comic ingenuity began – and ended. But “Man” is so much smarter than that.
Peter’s attempts to find a new friend are awkward, but not nearly as clumsy as he is. He can’t do a passable accent to save his life, is an awful ad libber and likes “The Devil Wears Prada” way too much.
Sydney is his polar opposite, and their relationship curve is surprisingly deep – and realistic. So, too, is Peter’s bond with Zooey.
During one critical scene the two fight about one of their bedroom habits, and it’s precisely the type of moment that the typical rom-com would spin out of control.
Instead, the leads talk it out in a healthy, respectful fashion. And the story continues with more than enough jokes to recharge the story.
Rudd, of course, is brilliant here, pushing Peter’s nebbishy persona past the audience’s comfort level. Segel is even better, a slovenly bloke who graceless charisma to spare. As soon as Hollywood tires of Seth Rogen, Segel is there to take his place.
“I Love You, Man” only stops the narrative once for a gross-out set piece. The humor flows generally from the characters, the situations, more than anything else.
It’s hard not to fall for “I Love You, Man.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
(Photo: Paul Rudd and Jason Segel salute their bromance with a Rush cover in “I Love You, Man.”)
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I totally agree. I thought the best thing about this movie was the believability factor (is believability a word, or did I just make it up? It Sunday morning and the minds a bit blurry).
Peter and Zooey’s relationship is very real. I love the part where he won’t stop playing air guitar – it is so silly and so real.
I like Jason Segel in this role. You make a good point about Seth Rogan – I have totally tired of him, and he would have ruined this role. That said, the character of Sydney is not entirely likable. His disrespect for women is blatent, but again, probably a realistic portrayal of the guy he was playing.
I thought the entire cast was just about perfect. Jaime Pressly and Jon Favreau were hysterical (and I know a couple EXACTLY like them).
I didn’t expect to like this one and I don’t think the previews really did it any favors. I thought it was going to be just another sophomoric movie with cheap jokes and shallow characters. I was happy to be proven wrong.
I cringed every time Rudd said, ’slappin’ the bass’ …. takes courage to look so dorky.
Yeah, I should have delved into the supporting characters in my comments … Jaime and Jon are terrifice.