Actors Jason Segel and Paul Rudd (“Knocked Up Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) team up in another terribly crude yet hilarious comedy: “I Love you Man.”
Peter (Rudd) stars as the sensitive slightly metro-sexual real estate agent who is about to get married to his fiancé Zooey (Rashida Jones). He is clean cut responsible and certainly a caring man. However he has something significant missing from his life – male friends. Having always grown up with female companions Peter is an understanding man seemingly more comfortable around women. Zooey’s friends think this lack of a good male friend may make Peter clingy and could be damaging to their future marriage.
Therefore in order to find Peter both a good friend and possibly a best man for the wedding Zoe and her friends send Peter on a series of man-dates with all the best intentions.
After a series of terrible get-togethers – including an accidental homosexual experience – Peter gives up hope of finding a good guy friend until he meets Sydney (Segel) at an open house he is hosting for Lou Ferrigno.
Sydney is the exact opposite of Peter. He is crazy manly fun and at times frighteningly spontaneous. However after their first accidental meeting the two characters hit it off.
The film traces the growth of the friendship and emphasizes the importance of honest and sensitive male camaraderie. The majority of the film focuses on these two actors as they relate and grow in the most outrageous everyday scenarios.
Sydney brings Peter out of his safe shell and helps him get in touch with his masculine side while Peter helps Sydney to see what is most important in relationships.
As the film progresses Peter has such an amazing time with his newfound buddy that he spends less and less time with his fiancé. Conflicts abound as Peter realizes that he cannot talk with his soon-to-be wife about all-male issues like he can with Sydney. In one humorous scene Sydney helps Peter to come out of his comfort zone and talk with him about masturbation. Although crudely hilarious it reveals Peter’s realization of the distance between him and his wife.
The story explores the challenge of finding a special person – whether male or female romantic or platonic – with which to have a deep and committed relationship.
Despite the emotion of its moral the film succeeds primarily in the arena of appalling off-the-wall jokes. In the spirit of “Superbad” and “Knocked Up the film takes the classic jokes of a sexual comedy and meshes them with the themes of a chick flick.
I Love you Man” might have failed if not for fantastic performances by Segel and Rudd. Both characters embody a completely different facet of masculinity and the actors portray these complex and awkward characters with wit and sincerity.
Although the film starts out slow and is occasionally formulaic it nonetheless surpasses the average comedy with flying colors. The jokes are beyond funny and will possibly make you cry – sometimes with tears of shame. The dialogue is witty the acting is fantastic and the thematic materials are sincere.
However it is probably best appreciated by those who enjoy crude humor. It is excessively raunchy in an honest portrayal of the varying dimensions of masculinity. If the audience is okay with crassness this film is great. It is a good story that will leave the audience in stitches.