At once sweet, genuinely funny, and painfully awkward, I Love You, Man is that type of film that used to feel like a rare event, but these days is a lot more common thanks to Judd Apatow’s new hit factory. His stock ensemble of actors, writers, and directors have managed to hone in on the perfect formula of raunchy and sweet.Apatow wasn't involved in this production, but his mark is all over it just the same.Paul Rudd has to be the most infinitely likeable man in Hollywood; he manages to capture the ideal blend of sincerity and awkwardness but never comes off as annoying.As Sidney, Jason Segal departs from the neurotic and insecure roles that have nearly made him a household name in Freaks and Geeks and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.He channels instead the endearingly arrogant and emotionally stunted man-boy who is both life of the party and sad clown.The story is pretty simple--making friends tends to get more and more challenging as we get older and more settled into our lives.That's never been truer than for Peter Klaven, a so-called "Girlfriend Guy" who's never really had a best guy friend.As Peter begins to plan the rest of his life with the girl of his dreams (Parks and Recreation's Rashida Jones), the pressure to find a best man and not feel like a friendless freak becomes more intense.Enter Sidney, a Venice Beach-dwelling, super-laid-back, Rush-loving, vaguely employed (but clearly successful) financial planner with no desire to commit, a room in his house dedicated to all things masculine and an intense desire to have a good time as often as possible.Soul mates, right?As directed by John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, Stella), I Love You, Man is consistently funny and totally relatable.With strong supporting performances from Jones, Andy Samberg, Jon Favreau, Jamie Pressely, and even Lou Ferrigno (!), I Love You, Man is a little less raunch and a lot more sweet than some of this crew's other hits, with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments.–Kira Canny
Stills from I Love You, Man (Click for larger image)
The Rebirth Of Platonic Love Between Men!March 31, 2009 Happy Camper(Baltimore, Maryland USA) 43 out of 53 found this review helpful
The United States, in general, is quite a homophobic country. Men are expected to have platonic feelings of love only for immediate family members, such as parents, grandparents, siblings and their own offspring. Sharing one's nonsexual feelings of love outside this tiny world is basically considered taboo. In other cultures this is certainly not the case, something I had the good fortune to experience first hand!
I Love You, Man does a superb job of comparing and contrasting heterosexual women's emotionally rich, same-sex friendships with heterosexual men's typically barren, same-sex friendships. It exposes the hypocrisy that it's okay for women to hug and be emotionally close and talk in graphic details about their sex lives amongst themselves, but NOT for a man to do the same exact thing!
What a refreshing and insightful film! This brilliant story also compares male homosexual and heterosexual same-sex relationships and on the surface, at least, they are indistinguishable! This might be news to some people - but all well-adjusted human beings have a yearning for emotionally rewarding relationships!
And, one person can not fulfill ALL your emotional needs! It's really that simple!
Thank you Hollywood for taking such a risk in making such a profound film with a great sense of humor! It shows you believe a certain segment of the American public is mature enough to want to explore the meaning of platonic love between men!
Platonic Studies
DVD Loaded with Fun ExtrasAugust 7, 2009 Cubist(United States) 7 out of 7 found this review helpful
There is an audio commentary by director John Hamburg and actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. The three guys joke and banter with each other like old friends while heaping a lot of praise on their cast-mates as this track veers into a shameless love fest at times. They also point out acquaintances and crew members who have small roles in the film. They do tell some amusing filming anecdotes which somewhat salvages this commentary.
"The Making of I Love You, Man" is pretty standard press kit material as key cast and crew members talk about the characters and the film's plot. There are plenty of clips from the film along with behind-the-scenes footage.
"Extras" features 22 minutes of outtakes as we see the actors improvise various takes for a given scene that is pretty funny, especially whenever Paul Rudd is involved as he comes up with some amusing variations on dialogue.
Also included are six extended scenes that feature the cast riffing beyond what we saw in the film.
There are three deleted scenes which feature Peter going on a man date where he plays a game of rugby and gets injured. There is a scene where Peter and his brother talk about man crushes and friend sluts over bowling. And we see The State's David Wain as a wedding photographer getting Peter and his friends to do some silly poses.
Finally, there is a pretty funny gag real as cast and crew goof around on the set between and during takes. They also take pleasure in making each other crack up.
The most bro-mantic movie ever...October 2, 2009 Andrew Ellington(Mulholland Drive) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
When `I Love You, Man' first came out I rushed to the theater with my then best friend to see it. We had the type of relationship that was very rare I think; a bond that was unlike any I had with anyone else and, to be honest, one I never want to have again (the closer you are the harder they hurt you). Anyways, I'm not trying to be a downer, and I know that no one wants to hear this, but the reason I bring it up is this; when I left the theater that day I really, really loved this movie. I was ready to give it a five-star blazing review. Now that my then best friend and I are no longer speaking to one another I began to wonder if my adoration of this film was blinded love based on a personal connection I had with the subject matter.
It wasn't.
So that is why I mention my god-awful story of betrayed friendship, because in the end `I Love You, Man' still holds up, regardless of you current situation. It is genuine, charming, authentic, original and very, very funny.
The film tells of Peter Klaven; the `girlfriend guy'. He never really had steady friendships because he's not like most men. He's sweet and sensitive and emotional and caring and so he has a great track record with women, but when it comes down to selecting his bridal party (a guy that perfect can never stay single for long) he realizes that he has no friends. So, he embarks on a quest to find a best man, and that is when he runs into Sydney Fife; the complete opposite of Peter. He is crude and abrasive and a total womanizer and comfortable bachelor, but he possesses the same genuineness that Peter has. Each man compliments the other, helping them edge out their own personalities and become more complete individuals.
Why is writing this review making me so depressed?
Anyways, the film is littered with very funny scenes and a lot of well placed humor, but the heart of this film takes a tenderer and even more serious tone of true friendship and that act of finding oneself for the first time. The acting is very good all across the board, especially for this type of feature, but no one does as good a job at really reaching the audience as Paul Rudd. Rudd is flawless here, really grabbing hold of the awkwardness of making friends, of being yourself while constantly trying to impress another person. I know exactly what it's like to call up someone you don't really know but want to get to know (on a friendly level) and find yourself stammering through the most painfully awkward voice mail you've ever left.
I'm telling you; he really is OSCAR worthy here, and that is not something you say very often about performances in this genre of film.
Everything in this film feels so genuine because it is all so believable. I remember looking at my then best friend throughout the film smiling and nudging him, saying "this is so us" and it was; yet sadly it wasn't.
Friendship, and by that I mean TRUE FRIENDSHIP is a rarity today, and I'm thankful that someone finally broke the male bonding stereotype by making a film that is a true testament to the need for real friendship. This is a very smart film that mixes the funny with the heart without ever overdoing it and without ever straying from its objective. With a slew of nicely placed supporting performances (and a scene stealer by Andy Samberg), `I Love You, Man' is the complete package that will make you laugh and smile and, if you're me, cry.
Very FunnyAugust 14, 2009 Daniel G. Lebryk 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a very funny movie, yeah its a bit of a guy movie, well maybe a lot guy movie, some of the humor is very crude. The good news, its not mean funny, the laughs are good natured. Jason Segel, seems to be getting better and better in films.
Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Unrated Widescreen Edition), Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition), The OH in Ohio, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Unrated Widescreen Edition)), is engaged to Zoe (Rashida Jones, The Office Television series). Zoe has a bunch of girl friends, Peter has no male friends. In fact, Peter is very creepy around guys; and is pretty darn clingy with Zoe (she really should have run and hidden when he served the hot chocolate to her girls night out). So Zoe kind of pushes Peter into finding some male friends and manning up. Peter's younger brother (Andy Samberg, SNL) is openly gay and advises Peter on how to get male friends. Eventually Peter runs into Stewart, (Jason Segel, How I Met Your Mother, Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Unrated Widescreen Edition)), and they quickly become friends. The movie moves into a form of love triangle at this point. Along the way, a lot of funny things happen. I really enjoyed Jon Favreau being the butt of many jokes in this film. Jamie Pressley (My name is Earl) was just outstanding in her directness.
Please don't expect this film to be cinema, its just a good solid comedy, that will appeal to a mostly male audience. Jason Segel emits confidence in this film. After doing full frontal nudity in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, he seems to have nothing more to prove. Paul Rudd is good at being annoying early in the film - Mr. Clingy, Mr. eveything is too nice. He does a good job transitioning to a more likeable, normal character later in the film.
There were a few good hommages to SNL and How I Met Your Mother (in the man cave, Stewart was frequently seen in front of Marshall amps). Funny, fake movie critic conversations. This is a pop culture / cinema literate film.
At almost 2 hours, the film is just about the right lenght. Technically, surround sound was well used. There were a couple of bad edits where reaction shots were cut off early or changed too quickly. Shots were good and steady, no stupid random handheld camera movement. Overall, nicely done. The director, John Hamburg, has done mostly television; however this effort is very nicely done - way better than those credentials.
The movie is definately rated R, and is not for younger viewers. There is no nudity in this film. The R rating is for strong language and explict discussions about sex. No violence, unless you count Lou Ferrigno putting Jason Segel in a sleeper hold. The jokes are crude.
The DVD is packed with some nice bonus features. There is a commentary track with Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, and John Hamburg (I can only imagine that is very funny).
Three deleted scenes that gratefully were left out of the movie (a rugby game, gay bowling, and groomsmen photo session) - they were bad.
Extended scenes were actually really great - Rush fans, there is an extended version of the concert footage that is excellent; the discussion at ladies night is longer and cruder; the engagement dinner at the Chinese restaurant - Stewart talks about his job; Tuxedo shopping goes on a bit longer (not so good); Peter and Stewart hugging in front of the fountain gets another story thread added; and additional conversation at the wedding about gifts.
Extras - a bunch of short clips that were in the film, but pushing the joke a lot further - a combination of extended scenes and out takes. Best watched long after seeing the movie, they kind of overplay the jokes.
A making of featurette - forgettable.
A good funny movie. There are moments when Peter made me feel uncomfortable with his stupid comments, he says things that he regrets or says without thinking. But overall, the jokes work well.
Even better than I'd expectedAugust 17, 2009 pm444(Okemos, MI USA) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I loved this movie and it's definitely one that I'll watch again. The premise could have been tricky to handle, and in lesser hands, the film could have been an amusing but forgettable diversion. But director John Hamburg shows his skill by doing an outstanding job making everything work, turning a clever concept into a truly excellent movie. The film is solidly cast throughout, with no weak links, and in fact, there are so many talented actors/actresses that even the minor roles are memorable and funny. While nobody does any scene-stealing, Jon Favreau comes close, with sarcastic mutterings that almost serve like a Greek chorus of cynicism.
As for the main characters, Paul Rudd finally gets a film that capitalizes on his considerable talents as a comedian and a serious actor. The awkward Klaven-isms he delivers throughout the movie had me laughing non-stop. Jason Segel also does an amazing job, treading a fine line between an insensitive buffoon and a good-hearted, perceptive friend. Rashida Jones is witty and believable, leaving no doubt that in spite of his various shortcomings, she loves Peter Klaven. The entire cast is more like an ensemble than a group of supporting characters, and the result is that the movie flows in a very natural way.
The Blu-Ray comes with a generous set of special features, and it's there that you realize the strength of the director. There are some really funny deleted and extended scenes, and it must have been hard to edit them down, but Hamburg wisely decided to exercise great restraint in order to keep the film moving along at a brisk pace. Far too often, comedies over-reach by letting scenes run longer than necessary. It's totally understandable, but Hamburg made the right choice. Besides the deleted and extended scenes, the extras include a gag real, a "making of" featurette, commentary, and more. It's one of the few discs where I've actually watched all the extras.
The Blu-Ray transfer has very good picture quality and a decent audio track. Highly recommended.
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