Ever thought of mastering the fine art of extreme awkwardness and uncomfortable results? Study Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man and you’ll be an expert in no time. John Hamburg’s latest flick I Love You, Man (Hamburg’s previous directorial titles include Along Came Polly) is a look into friendships and the ridiculous things people go through to not only develop them, but also maintain them. I’m sure you can get the plot from the trailer, but what the two and half minute snippet leaves out is the wholesomeness of the relationships – all relationships.
Rudd and co-star Jason Segal play off of each other the way they should. One is definitely more outgoing than the other, one is more adventurous, one is more practical blah blah blah I could go on. The point is, the characters aren’t any different than any other characters from your standard buddy comedy, the situation is what makes this relationship unique. Pete Claven (Rudd) has no (zero) guy friends and needs to find a best man for his wedding. He begins to audition “dudes” via internet dating sites and set-ups by his mother and gay brother. Hamburg does a really nice thing here hinting that the search for a good friend is like searching for a mate. There really isn’t anything different because neither can really be forced, something this flick really shows.
Pete eventually meets Sydney (Segal) after multiple failures and the two start what can really only be described as a bromance. They find similar interests, tell each other intimate secrets and bring out different sides of each other. The fact that Hambrug treats this like dating is great, but what really tops it all off is that Sydney and Pete never forget they’re guys, dudes, men.
On the surface the plot looks stale; guy wants a best man for his wedding. But some of the best parts of the flick aren’t even between Pete and Sydney. The marriage between Jamie Pressly and John Favreau’s characters is amazing, Andy Samberg’s character and JK Simmons are brilliant as well but what tips the awkward scale is the conversations between Pete and his fiance Zooey (Rashida Jones).
Venture over to your 16-screen google-plex and check out I Love You, Man. It’s worth the price of admission and you’ll come away feeling as awkward and uncomfortable as ever.
BTW – If you’re wondering who Rashida Jones is, she’s the equally as cute girl with Natalie Portman in this PSA urging people to vote.
nice post.. keep it up