I Love You, Man Review

When NBC’s hit television show Friends was scheduled for its tenth and final season, people predicted which of the six original Friends cast members would excel after the show, surprisingly the only “friend” to slowly rise was Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd). Paul Rudd has been starring in films like The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Role Models, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the upcoming I Love You, Man directed by John Hamburg; who has also worked on screenplays for Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, Zoolander and Along Came Polly.

I Love You, Man is a hilarious romantic comedy with a unique plot unlike any other movie; the main character Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) goes on a quest to find not the perfect girl but a best man for his upcoming wedding.

Kalven decides to go on this friend-quest after he overhears a conversation between his fiancé, Zooey (Rashida Jones) and her bridesmaids about his lack of male friends and the possibility that his mom is his best friend. Embarrassed at the prospect of not having any groomsmen, Peter gets his charismatic gay brother Robby to help.


Right off the bat Robby tells his brother not to arrange any dinner meets because it will send the wrong message. Peter is, of course persuaded to dismiss the advice later on by his mother, who mistakenly sets him up with her friend’s gay son, Doug (Thomas Lennon). The dinner scene is an ode to Shakespeare as it utilizes mistaken identities to perpetuate comical situations; Peter thinks he’s finally found a new friend while Doug believes he has found a boyfriend, it is not until Doug repeatedly kisses Peter in the parking lot during a farewell does Peter realize the situation he is in.

After several unsuccessful “man-dates” Peter meets Sidney Fife (Jason Sigel), an investor at an open house he was showcasing, and decides to offer his realty services to Sidney as a means to befriend him. Despite Peter’s entrepreneurial instincts the two do not talk about business, they simply hang out for several hours getting drunk and hang out again the next day.

The two continue to hangout with each other everyday and Peter is slowly transformed from an unassertive nice guy to an independent individual capable of expressing himself. The reason for this seemingly savvy character helping Peter out is that Sidney himself has problems. Sidney’s hedonist lifestyle has held him back as his friends pursue careers and start families.

Much of the film’s enticing comedy is in its flawless portrayal of the awkward and silly moments in everyday life. The actors in I Love You, Man interact harmoniously, allowing each scene to seamlessly build to the next. A delightful surprise was the movie’s subtle use of humanizing quirks that just brings the characters to life.

In addition there are numerous supporting characters like Jaime Pressly, Jon Faveru, Andy Samberg, Rob Huebel and several others who have their share of excellent scenes. The movie does not rely highly on any single character to carry the film but cohesive interaction between all actors to produce an ingenious film.

The only negative aspect is the movie tried to end in a happily ever after tone for all characters. For the most part it was successful; but Sidney revealing himself as this highly successful investor was unnecessary and inconsistent with his previous image. If the movie trailer fails to entice you to watch I Love You, Man then your friends who watch the movie will surely convince you otherwise. This is one movie that should not be missed.