I Love You, Man is a side-splitting, heart-warming romp following one man's journey as he tries to find just the right guy. Screenwriters John Hamburg and Larry Levin reverse the rules of the age-old love story, adapting it for a lonely guy about to marry the woman of his dreams but who is in sore need of a best man. Double-entendres and the swapping of traditional roles follow, making this movie one of the best comedies of the year.
Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) has always been a "girlfriend guy," devoting most of his energy into his relationships rather than his friendships. "All his dude friends just fell by the wayside," says his younger brother, Robbie, who is played with tongue-in-cheek frankness by Andy Samberg of Saturday Night Live fame.
Living in Los Angeles and working at a real estate firm, Peter divides his time between his job and his lovely girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones). After getting down on one knee, Peter realizes he has a problem. Before he can settle down to help Zooey with the joys of wedding planning, he has to find himself a best man; but even before this, he has to find an actual friend. The guys he fences with don't quite cut it, nor do the guys at work. Zooey, on the other hand, has a group of friends as wide as Peter's is narrow, and they try to worry her about Peter's friend problem. Overhearing this, Peter knows he has to change his ways, so he enlists the help of his brother Robbie, a gay gym trainer, to help him meet guys.
At this point, the movie reverses some resemblances to traditional romantic comedies. Zooey and her friends gather around Peter's phone calls from potential friends like they might if one of their girlfriends were called back after a successful date. It is a credit to Rudd's acting skills that he is able to play a character who is just the right mix of bland and pitiful; a regular Joe that draws the sympathy of the audience.
Peter goes on one "man-date" after another, starting with the dregs at the gym that his brother suggests. Each attempt is met with failure until Peter all but loses hope after a meeting with a gay man who gets the wrong impression.
Enter Sydney Fife, played by the talented and comical Jason Segel. Segel is no stranger to romance-driven comedies, having acted in Knocked Up alongside Seth Rogen as well as writing the screenplay and acting in the 2008 hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He continues his very successful collaboration with Paul Rudd (also in both previous movies) by taking a supporting role as Rudd's new best friend in I Love You, Man.
Peter meets Sydney at an open house he is staging at Lou Ferrigno's multi-million-dollar mansion. Right away, Peter can tell that Sydney isn't like other guys and he is struck by his candidness and sincerity. A couple man-dates later, Peter begins to feel a real connection with him that is only deepened by their mutual devotion to the popular Canadian metal band, Rush.
This romance isn't all roses and chocolate though. Sydney's free-and-easy approach to life is radically different than stiff, blue-collared Peter's approach. Slowly but surely, Peter develops as a character throughout the movie. And rather than change for the sake of change, his transformation is more of an opening up, a realization of what was inside him the whole time and a return to what he truly was all along.
How does Zooey take all these changes? Naturally, she is supportive, as any good girlfriend would be, but when Peter begins to spend more time with Sydney than her, her patience begins to wear thin. Initially put off by the idea that her boyfriend's best friend might very well be his mother, she is as anxious as he that the place beside him at the altar might be empty on their wedding day.
Peter's friendship with Sydney soon takes over all his free time, and through a series of unfortunate miscommunications, Peter finds his relationship with Zooey jeopardized. Peter's choice may just be between his new best friend and his girlfriend.
Though presenting itself as a genuine romantic comedy, I Love You, Man has a thought-provoking and delicate sub-theme about the difficulty of finding good friends. The idea that a man can go through life, work and his free time, associating with his fellow men but never getting close to them is very tragic. Rudd's character presents an interesting and very modern kind of dilemma without getting overly philosophical, where the authenticity of one's acquaintances is called into question as soon as they're confronted by an emotional requirement. The personal, as well as social necessity, of making friends is driven home. It is stressed that without friends, an individual is actually incomplete. Exploring this idea with an appealing blend of crudeness and sensitivity becomes the underlying motive of the movie.
I Love You, Man is touching and hilarious, full of snappy, punchy dialogue that will leave you shaking with laughter and is sure to be a favorite.
