Let’s hug it out, bitch.
“ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH TO SAY IT?”
PLAYERS: Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jason Segel, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau
COACH: John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, episodes of Undeclared)
STYLE: Comedy / Man-Love
MEMORABLE QUOTE: “Hi Peter, I saw your billboards, they’re spectacular. I’m sorry for calling you a whore. Best of luck with Sydney, if you’re not still together… you can Facebook me.”
Male bonding has become a hot trend in Hollywood. The “Bros before Hoes” mentality, despite being extremely offensive on principals alone, is a storyline that has garnered so much laughs that it has translated into box office and ratings gold. When it comes to comedy, it seems the word “sexist” has been thrown out the window and universally deemed fair game. There are couples I know who make date nights for the latest episode of Entourage, or women who comment to me that The Hangover was a riot, despite it being about a bunch of guys trying to recount the events of a Vegas bachelor party gone wrong. The fist-pound-to-the-chest notion has become the formula, for now.
I Love You, Man is about a guy (Paul Rudd) set to marry a girl (Rashida Jones), but said guy is perceived as pathetic by said girl and friends because he has a hard time finding guy friends, much less a Best Man for his wedding. The mission is for him to go on a bunch of man-dates to find the right guy. While most films portray the male to be a loser if he can’t get a girl, this one effectively shows how it can be equally or even more sad if you can’t even find at least one single buddy.
Paul Rudd, who plays Peter Klaven, is adorable. He plays the role of, puppy dog trying get a bone, very well. Seeing him stoop to the levels he does to achieve male companionship is hysterical. Jason Segel plays Sydney Fife, who is the perceived “catch.” Both of these guys have a successful history on screen together in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. They run in the same clique so to see them star together or do crossovers in each other’s films has become commonplace. Which is why I had a problem with the film’s originality. Some of the scenes they share felt like regurgitated bits and routines from their previous work. It almost felt like a spin-off of those films.
I was a little disappointed but I think my expectations were way too high. It was a very likable flick. Good supporting cast. If you’re not used to seeing the duo on screen, their camaraderie and jokes should hit you with more oomph.
$ VALUE: $$$
$$$$$ – “You’re so money, you don’t even know it.”
$$$$ – “Worth every penny.”
$$$ – “Fair price.”
$$ – “I’m not made of money.”
$ – “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
