A&E Review: ‘I Love You, Man’
April 08, 2009
By Christopher Ray
A&E Writer
Photo from www.ew.com |
7.5 out of 10 – A refreshing, if not surprisingly sweet comedy
I Love You, Man flirts with trying to be too realistic for it's own good. The level of honesty in this film about the male friendship dynamics that exist in our society today is profound. The main character Peter Klavin, played quite awkwardly by Paul Rudd, has always had a girlfriend, but never any strong male friends. With no best friend, and now being engaged to his girlfriend Zooey, he has no obvious picks for his best man. This doesn't bother Peter, though, until an overheard conversation between Zooey and her girlfriends shows the downfall of being married to a man that has no close confidants. Peter sets out on a quest with the help of his gay brother, played by Andy Samberg, to find a best friend.
The film's most original point is the period of “man dates” that Peter goes on. The entire structure of the scenes are hilarious, with him basically going on dates with men. The entire dynamic is just like it would be in sexual situations with women, minus the sex. Although, a few men do get confused. It was quite funny how the story dove completely into his man dates, not taking a second away to qualify in Seinfeld fashion that “not that there's anything wrong with that.” When the reality of this story's world decided to wonderfully ignore the implications of its context, it was truly one of the more original moments I've seen in a comedy in a long time. Matched with Samberg's understated homosexual performance (which is quite the treat nowadays), it made for a good time.
Soon Peter meets, in romantic comedy fashion, his true “man love” at an open house. Sydney Fife, played by Jason Segel, impresses him with his intuition of social nuance. They retire to Sidney's man cave at his house, where there is a setup to jam out and walls covered in band and movie posters. Jason Segel is probably the best performance of the film, as his character Sidney is called upon to do a lot, which he does quite enjoyably. Sidney is an amazing individual, who is amazing with little effort. It almost makes him seem sinister that he never gets too riled up, but he is a stable force in Peter's life.
It is nice to see a film that explores the platonic bonds between men. In the end, the story is a comedy, but as with any good romp, the ending is happy and the lessons are true. Peter's character is awkward, terribly awkward. He has many Michael Scott moments of trying to be cool and witty, and fails miserably. This was almost a distraction at times because it was too honest. But not funny. The film reminds us though that sometimes there are no need for words, but we should never be afraid to say "I love you, man."
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