After seeing I Love You, Man for the second time, one thing became clear to me: Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are charmers. It may seem like an obvious observation, but it rings more true than ever when you realize that you just watched the duo carry an entire film on their comedic talents alone. Seriously, these guys could make watching paint dry entertaining. I recently had the misfortune of stumbling upon a sad excuse for a film entitled Over Her Dead Body and you know what? Even in that shitpile, Rudd shone as a bright beacon of light amongst vacant, blank-eyed actors with none of his charisma, nor his acting chops. He always somehow manages to exude an air of unaffected sincerity and warmth; there's absolutely nothing malicious about his brand of humor. That said, Segel definitely manages to hold his own against the relatively established Rudd, at times even overshadowing the latter.
I Love You, Man concerns Peter Klaven (Rudd) and his desperate fumbling to find a best man for his wedding. The problem is, the guy has a serious lack of dude friends. That's the basic set-up for the first part of the film, which depicts a sort of montage of Peter's initial awkward man-to-man hang-out sessions that are akin to first dates, but the film only really takes off when Peter finally meets Sydney Fife (Segel); their natural camaraderie is what drives the majority of the film. Sydney acts as the wise mentor type to Peter's uninitiated pushover, introducing him to a world where guys talk openly about sex, get drunk, and jam.
Sadly, the supporting characters aren't nearly as fleshed out as Rudd's and Segel's, nor are they even half as fun to watch. Peter's fiancee, Zooey (Rashida Jones), vacillates from sweet, laid-back girlfriend to jealous shrew, and I'm a big fan of Samberg's (yeah, yeah, I know, me and everybody else) but his role as Peter's brother just seems kind of superfluous here, like a cheap device existing only to facilitate a few forced gay jokes. And there's also the issue that's seemingly on everybody's mind: why doesn't Peter just assign the role of best man to his brother, right? But I'm not here to nitpick at questions we already know the answers to ('cos then there'd be no movie, that's why). This minor problem can, and should, be overlooked, because we've got bigger fish to fry.
I Love You, Man is a funny movie. Laugh out loud funny, in fact. But it has an odd, sloppy sort of rhythm, one that becomes more apparent with multiple viewings. The problem is that oftentimes the film seems to coast solely on the comedic talents of Rudd and Segel; you can't help but wonder whether the film would've held up with a different cast. To get a feel for what I'm talking about, consider the film Step Brothers -- which didn't so much coast as it lumbered along -- both in terms of the pacing and the writing; I have a hard time believing that the jokes were as funny on paper as they are coming out of the mouths of people who know how to properly deliver them.
So, while it is a genuinely entertaining film, try not too think too much into it, lest you realize that the humor isn't in the direction (it's fairly standard) or the plot (ditto) or even the writing for that matter; it lies within the sundry and versatile talents of its cast.
DVD Bonus Features
The DVD is rife with quality extras, including a commentary with John Hamburg, Jason Segel and Paul, which is as enjoyable as the film itself, if not more so. There's about an hour's worth of deleted, extended, and extra scenes, which showcase the entire cast's talents for improvisation. Seriously, every take is different; it's actually quite impressive. There's also a gag reel, and a mini-documentary about the making of the film, both of which I'd recommend if you're fans of the actors; it's nice to be able to see them interact and be all buddy-buddy outside of the world of the film.
"I Love You, Man (DVD)" is on sale August 11, 2009 and is rated R. Comedy, Romance. Directed by John Hamburg. Written by John Hamburg, Larry Levin. Starring Andy Samberg, JK Simmons, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones.
