Enjoyable but not pioneering comedy

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2011)

This movie was very enjoyable. It's about a man named Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd at the top of his game) who's engaged quite happily to his fiancée Zooey (the lovely and charming Rashida Jones of "The Office", "Boston Public", and "Parks and Recreation") and whose life seems to be coming up roses. Their plans for their wedding are going quite smoothly until Peter overhears his fiancée chatting to some of her girlfriends about the fact that Peter doesn't have any guy friends. This sets him off on a quest to make some guy friends. It's in the course of this quest that the somewhat uptight Peter meets Sidney Fife (Jason Segel, fantastic as a guy guys would want to hang out with and who women love also). The two characters bond over Rush, masturbation stations, and unpicked up dog poop.
They eventually have a falling-out after their relationship becomes a bit too close for Zooey. This is not a movie with too many aces in its pocket though and the ending is not particularly surprising. That said, the casting is good, although it seems as though we see the same faces again and again in comedies these days. That said, Paul Rudd is excellent as is Jason Segal. Jamie Pressly and Jon Favreau are hilarious as a couple who are constantly sniping at one another. Amy Burns is quite funny as Zooey's friend Hailey who is becoming increasingly desperate to find a man. It's always wonderful to see Jane Curtin in movies and she and JK Simmons are quite funny as Peter's parents whose interaction at the dinner table sometimes shocks (although in many recent comedies, we have encountered the "wacky" in-laws who specialize in providing an off-beat comic foil to the younger couple trying hard to make their relationship work) their younger relatives. Rob Huebel, as Peter's id-driven co-worker also deserves credit for his work in trying to bring out the necessary flair Peter will need to sell Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk)'s house.
The screenplay is very hard to dislike. It is well-written and it is essentially the mirror image of the typical romantic comedy in that Peter can't find a male friend after several valiant (and ultimately predictably wacky) "dates" but finally finds "the one". After a period of bliss, it seems that the relationship may crash on the rocks, but this is not a movie for sad endings. That said, the screenplay, by John Hamburg who also directed (and who introduced us to "The Fockers" and "Zoolander") creates a plausible world in which a man is a little insecure and tries to fix what he perceives is a shortcoming on his part.
At times the humor is quite derivative and juvenile, but there is undoubtedly a heartbeat lurking beneath the immature exterior and one senses that this movie could even have explored in greater depth the concept of platonic male friendship while not sacrificing laughs. That said, this is still a very enjoyable movie and superior to most humor on the market. It should play well to people through a broad range of ages even if it is a bit coarse and juvenile at times. Ultimately, its heart is in the right place.