By Frank Tobin
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There’s no closer a bond than the one shared by two heterosexual men; a “bromance,” if you will. You share interests, you watch ball-games, you chat about your conquests; you have all the trappings of a homosexual relationship, without the fear of your encounters being banned by state law. It’s in this “intellectual analysis” that we come to “I Love You, Man.”
This movie, neither “chick fl ick” nor “slap-stick,“ exhibits both Paul Rudd and Jason Segel’s nearly impeccable comedic timing, which admirably extracts the maximum number of laughs from a script that can’t quite keep up with their momentum.
The plot offers virtually no surprises, and its formulaic approach to a fairly unique perspective on the awkward humor of male bonding doesn’t help the fi lm’s impact.
Fortunately the two leads’ enthusiastic energy (and willingness to do anything for a laugh) keeps the proceedings lively, raunchy and surprisingly entertaining.
After Peter Klaven (Rudd) proposes to his girlfriend Zoë, (Rashida Jones) and they begin preparing for their big day, Klaven realizes he’s never had a close enough friend to be best man at his wedding. Taking the advice from his family, and a little tutoring from his gay brother Robbie (Andy Samberg in a hilarious supporting role), Peter initiates several awkward and highly unsuccessful “man dates” in an attempt to find a worthy comrade.
On the verge of giving up, Klaven randomly meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a brazenly straight-forward, recklessly carefree troublemaker who, oddly enough, has quite a bit in common with Peter.
As the two quickly bond, Peter’s relationship with Zoë becomes strained and he must determine if his newfound friend’s audacious attitude is actually ruining his chance at finding true happiness.
An initial influx of crude sexual jokes gets things started in the routine humor of “I Love You, Man” :parents openly talking dirty, spontaneous vomiting in the faces of others, fart analysis and a dog relieving itself.
The foul-mouthed, unrefined vulgarity is constant and expected and seems to always get a rise from the audience. Since it never goes beyond that, those looking for remnants of intelligent humor or hilarious setups will be left disappointed. It’s a raunchy comedy, seeking out the easy laughs based on increasing levels of obnoxiousness and doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
At least the premise is refreshing, twisting around the idea of a man in search of a significant other. Peter isn’t trying to get laid, hook up with the hot chick, lose his virginity, or exploit any of the other numerous clichéd plots in comparable tweener/adult comedies.
It’s amusing to see that acquiring a male platonic friend is the more formidable game. In his quest, many running jokes are reused to the point of detestable – it’s a run-of-the mill approach to what started as an original angle; the follow-through leaves much to be desired as the male bonding becomes overpowering, the dialogue is a bit too silly (“frosty-haired [insert slang word for parts of the human anatomy here]”), key points parallel the weepiest chick flicks, and the plot progression never ventures far from completely predictable.
Good for a laugh, but bad for your IQ, this movie will delight and revolt you all in the same breath. But you probably don’t have high standards when it comes to your movies anyway, so enjoy!
