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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Love is in the air this week courtesy of Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. OK, “I Love You, Man” is about one fella’s search for a Best Man for his wedding – not “Brokeback Mountain: Home on the Range.” But Hollywood has been serving up bromances long before the hipster term was coined. So, in honor of “Love,” WWTW presents five flicks which can help guys bond with their best buds. Then you can watch “SportsCenter” and talk about your past sexual conquests.

• “Midnight Run” – It’s the boilerplate for odd couple action comedies. Charles Grodin at his peak … Robert De Niro long before he started phoning in every other performance.
• “48 Hrs.” – Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte alternatively bicker, slug each other and save the day. What could be a better bonding experience?
• “Armed & Dangerous” – John Candy and Eugene Levy play squabbling security guards in this mid-80s sleeper.
• “Rush Hour” - “Do you hear the words that are comin’ out of my mouth?”
• “Swingers” – “You’re so money you don’t even know it …” The classic male bonding movie. Period.

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Who doesn’t wanna see Paul Rudd and Jason Segel fall in love on screen – in a strictly bromance sort of way, of course.

The upcoming “I Love You, Man” could be the best comedy of the new year. Don’t believe me? Check out the new red-band trailer and see if you don’t agree.

Red band trailers feature R-rated content not seen on standard movie trailers. So you’ll have to swear you’re at least 18 in order to see it.

No fake IDs, please.

(Photo: Getting to know you … Jason Segel and Paul Rudd bond in “I Love You, Man.”)

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The scenes from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” which didn’t make the final cut certainly deserved their fate.

It’s one of the lessons gleaned from the extras-laden DVD package of the hit spring comedy.

“Marshall,” the best of the recent films from the Judd Apatow assembly line, actually improves on second viewing.

The supporting players register better, and you can marvel anew at both Russell Brand’s take on the addled rock archetype as well as Jason Segel’s terrific lead performance.

As for the extras, well it’s a case of sifting through the clutter to find the gold.

The deleted scenes feel as if they were stripped away from another, inferior comedy. Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) is an unsympathetic love interest in the theatrical version, but watching her rant and rave while astride a runaway in one deleted scene reduces her to a pure villain. Glad the scene got left behind.

Far better is a featurette on Brand himself. His role was originally conceived as a British intellectual, but Brand’s screen tests forced Segel and co. to completely re-imagine the character. That’s the kind of juicy info we want in  our DVD extras.

The bonus material also include snippets of the lead characters’ audition reels as well as a faux children’s TV segment featuring Aldous Snow (Brand) extolling the virtues of the letter “U.” Good stuff.

(Photo: Kristen Bell and Russell Brand make life miserable for our hero, Peter (Jason Segel) in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”)

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