I Love You, Man, DVD Review

[Brando]

Starring: Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jason Segel
Directed by: John Hamburg
Written by: John Hamburg, Larry Levin
Runtime: 105 mins
Rated: R
Release Date: August 11, 2009

Movie

For most men, they’re four scary words: I Love You, Man. However, few of us would trade our best buds for anything in the world. We might not want to admit it, but we guys are pretty fond of our closest friends. But, what if you didn’t have any buddies, bros, or dudensteins? What if weeks before your wedding the only options for a Best Man included your Dad, and your dorky little brother? That’s the premise for I Love You, Man, a film directed by John Hamburg but heavily inspired by the work of famed comedic talent Judd Apatow.

I Love You, Man stars Paul Rudd in his first leading role. Rudd co-starred with Sean William Scott in the mostly forgotten Role Models last year, but for the most part he’s been waiting in the wings, contributing bit parts (albeit progressively hilarious characters) in Apatow films like Knocked Up and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Rudd’s character in this one, Peter Klaven, is a mostly likeable but unremarkable real estate agent from sunny California. However, there’s one thing about Pete that stands out – he has no male friends. He has male acquaintances, sure – the kind you meet for weekly Fencing events or the occasional poker game – but no one worthy of the Best Man throne. An obvious “girlfriend guy,” that’s never been a problem for Peter before, but with his impending marriage to Zooey (The Office’s Rashida Jones) quickly approaching, the idea that the role of honorary gentleman could remain vacant becomes a scary and awkward proposition.

Enter Sydney Fife, a fairly mysterious, awesomely confident, and mostly likeable “investor.” No one really knows exactly what it is Sydney does (and the movie, even in the end, never really explains it), but he is a good dude – he likes rock band Rush, his dog resembles former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and he’s comfortable enough with his sexuality to wear ‘Ugg’ boots down the Santa Monica boardwalk. Peter meets Sydney at an open house event for Lou Ferrigno, who’s decided to move out of his luxurious Hollywood abode. Selling the enormously expensive Ferrigno pad, including its larger-than-life statue of the former Hulk star, is proving anything but easy for the squirrel-esque Klaven who can’t quite find the confidence to nail down a sale.

And so, the bulk of the plot revolves around Peter’s quest to first find a friend, his eventual manship with Sydney, and the awkward complications brought on when the two start spending a bit too much time with one another. Now, before you jump to some rash conclusion on that point and the film’s tongue-in-cheek title, understand that this film, although toying with modern conceptions of masculinity and sexuality, is firmly in the hetero camp. In fact, both Rudd and especially Fife are masculine heroes, and the girl-next-door cutey act of Rashida Jones helps cement the movie’s mostly conservative humor.

With that said, I Love You, Man is a very funny flick. Rudd is very likeable and his character breaks
new ground in awkwardness – his mumbled and kerfuffled one-liners and nicknames are painfully realistic, and thus, hilarious. Segel/Fife is a bit less believable, but his enormous confidence – a tricky wild card that unfailingly pays off for most Hollywood characters – easily wins viewers over. There are several other good performances here; I truly enjoyed the rageahol banter of Denise (Jaime Pressly) and nasty hubby Barry (Jon Favreau), whose nightmarish tats make one cower with delight. In short, there are many funny lines here from a wide variety of different characters.

Video

Visually, I Love You, Man, a comedy in the same vein as Apatow’s big hitters 40 Year Old Virgin and Pineapple Express, is nothing to write home about. I watched this film on DVD, and in thinking back to that Knocked Up HD-DVD I bought it’s probably not worth it to make the leap to high definition for this one.

Audio

The big plus here is the inclusion of Canadian rockers Rush, who don’t normally perform in films but made an exception because of a long-standing friendship with director John Hamburg. I wasn’t always a big fan of the east coast band, but it’s just about impossible to ignore the wholesome catchiness of the tunes included here.

As a side note, you might want to be careful about letting kids watch this movie; there are some naughty references here, but thankfully they fail to cross the line into mouth-dropping vulgarity.

Overall, I Love You, Man isn’t anything to feel awkward about renting, or purchasing for that matter. With a long list of established and upcoming comedic actors, most at their best here, it’s the kind of flick you’ll probably find yourself tossing into the ‘ol DVD player at parties and other relaxed social functions.

[Kimdopher]

Great movie, just named our new puppy Joebin (a name from the movie). Watched it twice already