Ever seen a movie? OK, then you don't need to see this one.

Rating: 5/10 (21 March 2009)

Judd Apatow's group of friends is this generation's frat pack - Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, and Vince Vaughn are aging, and someone needs to fill the void. Though Judd was not involved in this movie, it stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segal, two if his favorite players, and Apatow's influence is obvious. However, even Apatow's involvement probably couldn't have a saved a film from a premise this trite and predictable. A man realizes he has no friends and needs to find a best man. That's it. There's no complexity, no subplot, nothing. That's fine for a comedy. Many great comedies have even less story than that. But the difference between those movies and I Love You Man is that they're FUNNY. When a film's feature character is in a relatable situation - for example, Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents or the kids in Superbad - it's easy to connect with them, and that makes jokes easy. But a 30-year-old guy who realizes he has NEVER had any friends... how does that happen? Who has ever found themselves in a situation where they're about to marry a gorgeous babe and then says... wait a minute, I don't have a best man! Without a relatable protagonist to fall back on, all the "jokes" fall flat. There are a few gags that make you laugh the first time you hear them... but they get pressed over and over again through the film until you can't stand it. The film relies on Segal to carry it, and while Segal can be a great supporting actor in other films, as can Rudd, neither can carry a film. It's like casting Steve Buscemi in a lead role. It just doesn't work. The film tries to circumvent being predictable by avoiding events and situations that seem obvious, which is a smart move... but then it doesn't fill those holes in. There just seem to be missing conflicts, and there's not an ounce of depth to any of the characters. Again, that's find for a comedy, but who are we supposed to cheer for? Lou Ferrigno and Thomas Lennon (from Reno 911) are hilarious in this movie, but their combined screen time is about 5 minutes, which isn't worth the price of admission or the time wasted watching the rest of the film.