John Hamburg takes an old idea and makes it his own.

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2010)

Knowing how original writer-director John Hamburg can be, he trumps his first work of Along Came Polly with I Love You, Man. I had high expectations for this when I saw it in the theater knowing that it is from the writer and director of Along Came Polly and stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. With I Love You, Man, Hamburg shows us again how he can take an old idea and make it his own. The idea is in the story of what it can be like for an engaged guy to find a guy to be his best man.
Paul Rudd stars as Peter Klaven, the aforementioned guy who gets engaged to his girlfriend Zoe (played by Rashida Jones from Parks and Recreation). Hamburg doesn't beat around the bush with this part of the plot. He starts us out right away with Peter's proposal to Zoe. A huge credit goes to Rudd and Jones for making these two characters believable. Rudd is amazing in what is one of his very few leading roles. Rudd is just right for this part as he makes Peter Klaven an awkward, upfront guy who sometimes says the dumb thing. Jones is also great as she shows what makes Zoe lovable and makes us as an audience love her too. Jones brings a unique kind of sweetness to the character.
Peter's journey for guy friends start when his family tells Zoe that Peter has never had a best friends and has always been a girlfriend kind of guy. He lets that go but his motivation to find friends happens when he overhears Zoe and her girlfriends talk about how clingy he might be since he doesn't have a lot of friends.
Hamburg does a great job at showing audiences what man-dates are and what they can be like. Where two straight guys hang out and get a beer at a bar or go to a sports match, of things that guys do. It takes an open house that Peter is hosting to find the right guy to be his friend. That is when we meet Sidney Fife (Jason Segel, after his breakout role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Sidney is much more relaxed, honest, and is not afraid to tell it like it is. Peter and Sidney become really good friends until Sidney asks for money for an investment that ends up helping Peter's business in selling houses.
Writer-director John Hamburg knows how to tell a story and relate it to today's audience. Rudd, Jones, and Segel all give funny and believable performances. This movie is a must see for anyone who likes the work of actors in the Frat Pack. It fits right in with the realm of Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up, and Talladega Nights.