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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
The Comical Fate of the Sensitive Male
At the core of what looks on the surface to be a standard summer buddy movie is an intriguing premise: What does become of the overly sensitized male when confronted with the reality that all his closest friends are female and that he is at a complete loss to find any groomsmen, in particular, a best man, for his wedding? It's not an earth-shattering dilemma to address,...
Published 17 months ago by Ed Uyeshima
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.5 stars-Enjoyable, escapist comedy
First, a disclaimer: this is not a Judd Apatow movie nor is it affiliated with him in any way other than the fact that two of his usual supspects-Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are the main stars. Apatow's comedies are messy affairs that feel largely improvised and run the gambit of emotions. I Love You, Man is a tidy, streamlined comedy that flows along smoothly from...
Published 12 months ago by B. Martin
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
The Comical Fate of the Sensitive Male, March 30, 2009
At the core of what looks on the surface to be a standard summer buddy movie is an intriguing premise: What does become of the overly sensitized male when confronted with the reality that all his closest friends are female and that he is at a complete loss to find any groomsmen, in particular, a best man, for his wedding? It's not an earth-shattering dilemma to address, yet the situation gives rise to a lot of amusing questions about what constitutes masculine behavior in our supposedly evolved society. Fortunately, director/co-writer John Hamburg (Along Came Polly) has fashioned a 2009 comedy (with co-writer Larry Levin) full of shrewd observations and hilarious gags that transcend formula and elevate the story into something fresh and genuinely likeable.
When sweet-natured L.A. real estate broker Peter Klaven decides to marry Zooey, his girlfriend of eight months, it dawns on both of them that he has no close male friends. Whispers about his manhood and her fear of him being too clingy as a husband lead Peter to set up a series of disastrous man-dates, one being the predictable mistaken gay date. However, it's at an open house at Lou Ferrigno's manse that he meets his personality opposite - Sydney Fife, a slovenly, blunt albeit socially observant slacker. As it turns out, their differences complement one another in a way that makes them best buddies almost from the get-go - that and a common obsession for the 1970's power band Rush. Naturally, Zooey starts to resent Sydney's burgeoning role in Peter's life - and things get complicated before the inevitable conclusion.
Two of Judd Apatow's familiar rep company star. Finally at the center of a major movie, Paul Rudd is ideally cast as Peter since the role takes advantage of how he combines his boyish charm and unpredictable nebbishness into a memorable character. In fact, he manages to give Peter's awkward attempts to overcome his social anxiety a certain emotional resonance. We feel every painful step he takes in replicating Sydney's free spirit, and it becomes easy to root for his success. Much better cast here than as the self-conscious lead in last year's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Jason Segel offers his doughy likeability to a role that suits his casual, lumbering personality, even when he exposes an intimate secret between Peter and Zooey in a wedding party dinner toast.
If the interplay between Rudd and Segel feels familiar from Apatow comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, it is a coincidence that Hamburg takes full advantage of to keep the movie comically involving. Rashida Jones brings a raspy appeal to Zooey, although she is kept mostly at the sidelines. Also underused are Jaime Pressly as Zooey's tart-tongued friend Denise and as Peter's parents, J.K. Simmons (playing the same wiseass father he played in Juno) and especially Jane Curtin. Jon Favreau has a thankless role as Denise's alpha-male jerk of a husband, while Andy Samberg makes a most unconvincing gay as Peter's sleep-around, personal trainer brother. There are plenty of laughs throughout its slightly long 105-minute running time, but what may surprise you is the number of insightful moments that this affectionate, satirical comedy provides.
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47 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
The Rebirth Of Platonic Love Between Men!, March 31, 2009
The United States, in general, is quite a homophobic country. Men are expected to have platonic feelings of love only for immediate family members, such as parents, grandparents, siblings and their own offspring. Sharing one's nonsexual feelings of love outside this tiny world is basically considered taboo. In other cultures this is certainly not the case, something I had the good fortune to experience first hand!
I Love You, Man does a superb job of comparing and contrasting heterosexual women's emotionally rich, same-sex friendships with heterosexual men's typically barren, same-sex friendships. It exposes the hypocrisy that it's okay for women to hug and be emotionally close and talk in graphic details about their sex lives amongst themselves, but NOT for a man to do the same exact thing!
What a refreshing and insightful film! This brilliant story also compares male homosexual and heterosexual same-sex relationships and on the surface, at least, they are indistinguishable! This might be news to some people - but all well-adjusted human beings have a yearning for emotionally rewarding relationships!
And, one person can not fulfill ALL your emotional needs! It's really that simple!
Thank you Hollywood for taking such a risk in making such a profound film with a great sense of humor! It shows you believe a certain segment of the American public is mature enough to want to explore the meaning of platonic love between men!
Platonic Studies
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
DVD Loaded with Fun Extras, August 7, 2009
This review is from: I Love You, Man (DVD)
There is an audio commentary by director John Hamburg and actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. The three guys joke and banter with each other like old friends while heaping a lot of praise on their cast-mates as this track veers into a shameless love fest at times. They also point out acquaintances and crew members who have small roles in the film. They do tell some amusing filming anecdotes which somewhat salvages this commentary.
"The Making of I Love You, Man" is pretty standard press kit material as key cast and crew members talk about the characters and the film's plot. There are plenty of clips from the film along with behind-the-scenes footage.
"Extras" features 22 minutes of outtakes as we see the actors improvise various takes for a given scene that is pretty funny, especially whenever Paul Rudd is involved as he comes up with some amusing variations on dialogue.
Also included are six extended scenes that feature the cast riffing beyond what we saw in the film.
There are three deleted scenes which feature Peter going on a man date where he plays a game of rugby and gets injured. There is a scene where Peter and his brother talk about man crushes and friend sluts over bowling. And we see The State's David Wain as a wedding photographer getting Peter and his friends to do some silly poses.
Finally, there is a pretty funny gag real as cast and crew goof around on the set between and during takes. They also take pleasure in making each other crack up.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.5 stars-Enjoyable, escapist comedy, August 19, 2009
This review is from: I Love You, Man (DVD)
First, a disclaimer: this is not a Judd Apatow movie nor is it affiliated with him in any way other than the fact that two of his usual supspects-Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are the main stars. Apatow's comedies are messy affairs that feel largely improvised and run the gambit of emotions. I Love You, Man is a tidy, streamlined comedy that flows along smoothly from beginning to end without asking much of the viewer other than to sit back and be entertained. It's also, a genuinely funny movie that creates a warm glow of male camraderie thanks to the effortless chemistry of it's two leads. The plot is simple. Paul Rudd is happily engaged to his fiance and is generally considered by her and her girlfiends to be the perfect boyfriend. There's jost one little problem: he doesn't have any guy friends. Realizing that he needs a best man for his wedding, Rudd goes on an assortment of "man-dates" in an attempt at some much needed male bonding. He finds his man-friend when he meets Sydney Fife, played by Segel. The two bond over a shared love of Rush music and eventually, Rudd's character starts to spend more time with him than with his fiance. This is not exactly a fresh, or innovative plot and you can see the ending coming a mile away. But in the case of I Love You, Man, it's all about the journey. Segel is hilarious as the overgrown man-child Sydney and Rudd is in fine form as well. His attempts at establishg a laid back, guy rapport with Sydney often lead to some akwardly hilarious moments. There are also funny supporting perfromances from Lou Ferrigno and John Favreau. In the end it's not as funny, complicated or profound as an Apatow film, but that's because it isn't one. It's just a fun, escapist, feel good comedy about the enduring friendships between guys. Nothing wrong with that.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
The most bro-mantic movie ever..., October 2, 2009
This review is from: I Love You, Man (DVD)
When `I Love You, Man' first came out I rushed to the theater with my then best friend to see it. We had the type of relationship that was very rare I think; a bond that was unlike any I had with anyone else and, to be honest, one I never want to have again (the closer you are the harder they hurt you). Anyways, I'm not trying to be a downer, and I know that no one wants to hear this, but the reason I bring it up is this; when I left the theater that day I really, really loved this movie. I was ready to give it a five-star blazing review. Now that my then best friend and I are no longer speaking to one another I began to wonder if my adoration of this film was blinded love based on a personal connection I had with the subject matter.
It wasn't.
So that is why I mention my god-awful story of betrayed friendship, because in the end `I Love You, Man' still holds up, regardless of you current situation. It is genuine, charming, authentic, original and very, very funny.
The film tells of Peter Klaven; the `girlfriend guy'. He never really had steady friendships because he's not like most men. He's sweet and sensitive and emotional and caring and so he has a great track record with women, but when it comes down to selecting his bridal party (a guy that perfect can never stay single for long) he realizes that he has no friends. So, he embarks on a quest to find a best man, and that is when he runs into Sydney Fife; the complete opposite of Peter. He is crude and abrasive and a total womanizer and comfortable bachelor, but he possesses the same genuineness that Peter has. Each man compliments the other, helping them edge out their own personalities and become more complete individuals.
Why is writing this review making me so depressed?
Anyways, the film is littered with very funny scenes and a lot of well placed humor, but the heart of this film takes a tenderer and even more serious tone of true friendship and that act of finding oneself for the first time. The acting is very good all across the board, especially for this type of feature, but no one does as good a job at really reaching the audience as Paul Rudd. Rudd is flawless here, really grabbing hold of the awkwardness of making friends, of being yourself while constantly trying to impress another person. I know exactly what it's like to call up someone you don't really know but want to get to know (on a friendly level) and find yourself stammering through the most painfully awkward voice mail you've ever left.
I'm telling you; he really is OSCAR worthy here, and that is not something you say very often about performances in this genre of film.
Everything in this film feels so genuine because it is all so believable. I remember looking at my then best friend throughout the film smiling and nudging him, saying "this is so us" and it was; yet sadly it wasn't.
Friendship, and by that I mean TRUE FRIENDSHIP is a rarity today, and I'm thankful that someone finally broke the male bonding stereotype by making a film that is a true testament to the need for real friendship. This is a very smart film that mixes the funny with the heart without ever overdoing it and without ever straying from its objective. With a slew of nicely placed supporting performances (and a scene stealer by Andy Samberg), `I Love You, Man' is the complete package that will make you laugh and smile and, if you're me, cry.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Even better than I'd expected, August 17, 2009
I loved this movie and it's definitely one that I'll watch again. The premise could have been tricky to handle, and in lesser hands, the film could have been an amusing but forgettable diversion. But director John Hamburg shows his skill by doing an outstanding job making everything work, turning a clever concept into a truly excellent movie. The film is solidly cast throughout, with no weak links, and in fact, there are so many talented actors/actresses that even the minor roles are memorable and funny. While nobody does any scene-stealing, Jon Favreau comes close, with sarcastic mutterings that almost serve like a Greek chorus of cynicism.
As for the main characters, Paul Rudd finally gets a film that capitalizes on his considerable talents as a comedian and a serious actor. The awkward Klaven-isms he delivers throughout the movie had me laughing non-stop. Jason Segel also does an amazing job, treading a fine line between an insensitive buffoon and a good-hearted, perceptive friend. Rashida Jones is witty and believable, leaving no doubt that in spite of his various shortcomings, she loves Peter Klaven. The entire cast is more like an ensemble than a group of supporting characters, and the result is that the movie flows in a very natural way.
The Blu-Ray comes with a generous set of special features, and it's there that you realize the strength of the director. There are some really funny deleted and extended scenes, and it must have been hard to edit them down, but Hamburg wisely decided to exercise great restraint in order to keep the film moving along at a brisk pace. Far too often, comedies over-reach by letting scenes run longer than necessary. It's totally understandable, but Hamburg made the right choice. Besides the deleted and extended scenes, the extras include a gag real, a "making of" featurette, commentary, and more. It's one of the few discs where I've actually watched all the extras.
The Blu-Ray transfer has very good picture quality and a decent audio track. Highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Very Funny, August 13, 2009
This review is from: I Love You, Man (DVD)
This is a very funny movie, yeah its a bit of a guy movie, well maybe a lot guy movie, some of the humor is very crude. The good news, its not mean funny, the laughs are good natured. Jason Segel, seems to be getting better and better in films.
Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Unrated Widescreen Edition), Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition), The OH in Ohio, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Unrated Widescreen Edition)), is engaged to Zoe (Rashida Jones, The Office Television series). Zoe has a bunch of girl friends, Peter has no male friends. In fact, Peter is very creepy around guys; and is pretty darn clingy with Zoe (she really should have run and hidden when he served the hot chocolate to her girls night out). So Zoe kind of pushes Peter into finding some male friends and manning up. Peter's younger brother (Andy Samberg, SNL) is openly gay and advises Peter on how to get male friends. Eventually Peter runs into Stewart, (Jason Segel, How I Met Your Mother, Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Unrated Widescreen Edition)), and they quickly become friends. The movie moves into a form of love triangle at this point. Along the way, a lot of funny things happen. I really enjoyed Jon Favreau being the butt of many jokes in this film. Jamie Pressley (My name is Earl) was just outstanding in her directness.
Please don't expect this film to be cinema, its just a good solid comedy, that will appeal to a mostly male audience. Jason Segel emits confidence in this film. After doing full frontal nudity in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, he seems to have nothing more to prove. Paul Rudd is good at being annoying early in the film - Mr. Clingy, Mr. eveything is too nice. He does a good job transitioning to a more likeable, normal character later in the film.
There were a few good hommages to SNL and How I Met Your Mother (in the man cave, Stewart was frequently seen in front of Marshall amps). Funny, fake movie critic conversations. This is a pop culture / cinema literate film.
At almost 2 hours, the film is just about the right lenght. Technically, surround sound was well used. There were a couple of bad edits where reaction shots were cut off early or changed too quickly. Shots were good and steady, no stupid random handheld camera movement. Overall, nicely done. The director, John Hamburg, has done mostly television; however this effort is very nicely done - way better than those credentials.
The movie is definately rated R, and is not for younger viewers. There is no nudity in this film. The R rating is for strong language and explict discussions about sex. No violence, unless you count Lou Ferrigno putting Jason Segel in a sleeper hold. The jokes are crude.
The DVD is packed with some nice bonus features. There is a commentary track with Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, and John Hamburg (I can only imagine that is very funny).
Three deleted scenes that gratefully were left out of the movie (a rugby game, gay bowling, and groomsmen photo session) - they were bad.
Extended scenes were actually really great - Rush fans, there is an extended version of the concert footage that is excellent; the discussion at ladies night is longer and cruder; the engagement dinner at the Chinese restaurant - Stewart talks about his job; Tuxedo shopping goes on a bit longer (not so good); Peter and Stewart hugging in front of the fountain gets another story thread added; and additional conversation at the wedding about gifts.
Extras - a bunch of short clips that were in the film, but pushing the joke a lot further - a combination of extended scenes and out takes. Best watched long after seeing the movie, they kind of overplay the jokes.
A making of featurette - forgettable.
A good funny movie. There are moments when Peter made me feel uncomfortable with his stupid comments, he says things that he regrets or says without thinking. But overall, the jokes work well.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
I Love You, Man, March 19, 2010
This review is from: I Love You, Man (DVD)
Engaged to the woman of his dreams yet uncomfortable with the prospect of not having a best man for his upcoming wedding, a successful real estate agent with no male friends schedules a series of "man dates" in hopes of finding a suitable candidate for the big day. Peter Klaven is just like most other guys, only when it comes to making friends he's always been a bit withdrawn. After proposing to his girlfriend Zooey, Peter quickly realizes that he doesn't even have any friends close enough to qualify for the role of best man. "I Love You, Man" is a good story on friendship, and what makes friendship tick. For that and its healthy dose of comedy that delivers what it sets out to do.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
I Love You, Man, February 8, 2010
This review is from: I Love You, Man (DVD)
Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) has just asked his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones), to marry him. But as he starts thinking about who he's going to ask to be his best man and groomsmen he realizes that he doesn't really have any male friends. Not knowing how to really talk to guys he asks his gay brother, Robbie (Andy Samberg), what he should do, and Robbie suggests going on "Man Dates." After several awkward "Man Dates," Peter meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) at an open house he's running to sell Lou Ferrigno's (himself) home. Sydney, someone looking for a friend as his friends all get married and immersed in work, turns out to be just the friend that Peter needs as he introduces him to the world of "mandom" and they bond over Rush.
Since the summer of 2005, the rated R comedy has had a major resurgence. Since then we've seen Wedding Crashers, 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Role Models, and then this year The Hangover. Of course, this resurgence was led by uber-Producer Judd Apatow, but there have been a few filmmakers that have made movies that have proved that Apatow isn't the only filmmaker with a hand in on this type of comedy including David Wain, Kevin Smith, and Todd Philips. Now, John Hamburg (who worked with Apatow on his TV show, Undeclared), with his first feature film since 2004's Along Came Polly, tries to join their ranks and join in on this R-rated revolution.
Let me get this out of the way: I Love You, Man is a romantic comedy. No, it's not about boy meets girl, but it does follow the tropes of a romantic comedy, and in a movie like this it works to great affect. Of course, some of the jokes are played as gay jokes, one of the great things that they've done though is to give the movie great gay characters to avoid being considered homophobic. In particular, Robbie is one of the most unstereotypically gay characters I've ever seen in film. That's what makes this film though, great characterization. These characters act and feel real, they're truly empathetic characters, and when the comedy comes we laugh because it's genuine, even if a lot of it is borne from Peter's awkwardness. And when the comedy does come, it comes hard, and feels fresh.
Typically in a lot of comedies, especially romantic comedies, it's not really fair to talk about the acting. While this movie does follow the romantic comedy "guidelines," it's not your typically romantic comedy and includes a who's who list of comedic royalty. Not only do you have Paul Rudd, who was better known for his dramatic work before Anchorman, and Jason Segel, writer and star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall as well as Marshall from How I Met Your Mother, but you also have Andy Samberg (SNL, Cloudy With a chance of Meatballs), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation, Cop Out), Jon Favreau (Swingers, as well as the director of Elf and Iron Man), Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl, Not Another Teen Movie), Joe Lo Truglio (Reno 911, Role Models), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911, The State), and you can't forget Jane Curtin (SNL Alumni, 3rd Rock From the Sun) and JK Simmons (Thank You For Smoking, Juno). But the movie truly would work if it weren't for Rudd and Segel, they have the perfect chemistry for this "bromance."
If I had to fault the movie for anything it would be that the plotline is generic. I Love You, Man doesn't really deviate from the general romantic comedy outline, but I also believe that was meant to be on purpose. There hasn't really been a true "bromance" movie, just movies that allude to bromances, but recently there's been a lot of talk about bromance, and this movie chose to exploit it, and it does a great job. I think in order to make a good movie about straight guys "hooking up" you had to follow this outline. The main problem this leads to is the "break up" point of the typical romantic comedy here feels a little forced. Yeah, it's got some great comedy surrounding that moment (the billboards are genius, and if you haven't seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about), but it seemed like too little to really set off the break up, and should have resulted in a somewhat quicker make up (although the make up is also genius). But this is just a small hiccupin an otherwise great movie.
I highly recommend this movie. In my opinion, after rewatching a few comedies from 2009, this is my favorite (even moreso than The Hangover) and would fall into my top 5 favorite movies of the year. Trust me, if you love the slate of comedic movies that have been cranking out the past several years than you'll love this movie.
4.5/5
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A must-have in your movie collection!, November 17, 2009
This review is from: I Love You, Man (DVD)
By far one of the funniest movies of all time. I saw this twice in theaters and knew I had to own it as soon as it came out on DVD.
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