Rating: 4.5 Pulses
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Rashida Jones, Andy Samburg
Directed by John Hamburg
Rated R
It’s an almost foregone conclusion that someday the R-rated adult comedy bubble of recent years is finally going to burst. Luckily for audiences, the reason that bubble exists also continues to thrive under the wings of director/producer Judd Apatow. His comedic circle of seemingly endless talent that has produced films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall once again delivers another hilarious and, dare I say, heart-warming film with this spring’s I Love You, Man.
The story centers on Peter Klaven (Rudd) and his recent engagement to the woman of his dreams, Zooey (Jones). In the midst of wedding plans, Peter realizes he has never had a best friend outside the opposite sex and feels motivated to befriend someone he can entrust with serving as his best man. With the encouragement of his fianc’, Peter sets out to meet new and interesting dudes through a series of hilariously-awkward man-dates before which he finally meets Sydney Fife (Segel). Peter and Sydney connect in the absolute most ’bromantic’ way one might expect from these two actors What follows is a nakedly-honest exploration of male bonding’s comical nature.
If you’ve seen any of the aforementioned films then you pretty much know what you’re getting once you sit down to watch I Love You, Man. Rudd has long-been cast in the supporting role ever since his early days in films, like 1995’s Clueless. His work in the Apatow universe has awarded him so many loveable roles that with I Love You, Man he finally lands the lead and absolutely knocks it out of the park. Jason Segel delivers again, following up his own hit leading role in last year’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Chemistry is in no short supply between the two leads throughout the film and you’ll often find yourself realizing how easy it can be to bring harmony to the awkward, out-of-tune realities we face in our everyday lives. These guys make their characters so comfortably-likeable that one cannot help to see further past the vulgarity and absurdity and find something truly relevant in these mere ’comedies.’ I personally could not count how many times I felt like I was watching myself and my own buddies interacting on-screen and that’s exactly the point of these stories.
With I Love You, Man, the Apatow reign continues . . . even with Apatow himself nowhere to be found.
