I Love You, Man Review (Classic Write-Up)

Now That We're Men!

A few minutes into I Love You, Man, I truly felt like I was watching something unprecedented. Here was an R-rated comedy that has its protagonist, Peter (Paul Rudd) be in a committed relationship....and the wife isn't treated as some kind of antagonist! His significant other, Zooey (Rashida Jones), is shown to be a well-rounded, nice person, who has a great dynamic with Peter. To boot, the film doesn't depict Peter as being "whipped" or less for having a healthy relationship with his fiancee.

Years of Adam Sandler movies where wives and girlfriends are treated like objects and sources of constant nagging left me unprepared for I Love You, Mans ability to depict a functional relationship in a natural light. But just because Peters love life is going well doesn't mean all is perfect. Ya see, Peter has never had a real guy friend, and since his wedding is coming up real soon, he needs a best man for the ceremony. So he's off to hunt for a best friend, which is a far more difficult proposition than it seems.

Watching Peter try to overcome his awkwardness in his various attempts to bond with a potential best friend was an interesting experience for me on a personal level, since I saw a lot of my own social insecurities pretty much play out on screen. Of course, Peter soon discovers Sydney (Jason Segel), a dude who shares his passion for Rush music and is able to get Peter to be more assertive. When Sydney entered the movie, I was worried his antics would lead the movie down the typical gratuitously vulgar path that many recent American R-rated comedies travel down, but interestingly, Sydney and his arrested development lifestyle is portrayed in a more nuanced manner, as well as not necessarily a 100% positive influence on Peter.

Rudd and Segel, reunited after the duo appeared in movies like Knocked Up, are a fun duo to watch just in how they bounce off their individual contrasting personalities. Plus, both Rudd and Segel are able to be authentic in the emotional moments of the motion picture without having such moments come across as contrived mush. Jones also gets to be a memorable presence in the feature, with her and Rudd having winning chemistry that one can't help but fall head over heels for. A roster of incredibly talented supporting actors like Jon Favreau, Andy Samberg, Jane Curtin, Jamie Pressly and J.K. freaking Simmons populate numerous scenes of the movie and only further add to the films large supply of hearty laughs.

Truth be told, I'm sort of bewildered as to how John Hamburg hasn't directed a film in the six years since the 2009 debut of I Love You, Man. The guys got a talent for creating comedy from scenarios drenched in real life neuroses, and I hope he gets more work work in the future. As you can likely tell, I firmly believe the well-crafted and engaging I Love You, Man provides ample evidence that Hamburg can deliver a winning motion picture.