An underrated comedy showcase for Paul Rudd

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2010)

"I Love You, Man" is a comedy with a premise so simple that I'm surprised I've never seen anything quite like it before. Paul Rudd plays a man who has just popped the question to his girlfriend, who happily accepted. Unfortunately, he has no close male friends to serve as a Best Man so he tries desperately to strike up a friendship before his wedding date arrives.
Paul Rudd is the heart and soul of this movie. I always thought that he was a decent actor but here he really struts his stuff. He's perfect for the character and has great interplay with Jason Segel, an actor who I never really cared for before this movie. The producers also acted wisely in filling the cast with a number of funny individuals in supporting roles, including Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressly, Adam Samberg, J.K. Simmons and others.
The script is strong with much of the comedy coming from character rather than situations. There's a bit of gross out humour but mostly the humour is less lowbrow and more observational. In terms of technical achievement, the movie looks and sounds fine but doesn't distinguish itself from other films.
Finally, it is inevitable to compare this movie to "The Hangover", 2009's biggest comedy hit. I have no problem stating that this film is the better of the two. Naturally, senses of humour will differ but I am surprised to see so much of a disparity between the two in terms of user ratings.