I like you, bro

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2013)

I Love You, Man tackles a weirdly forgotten problem in the world and that is the grown male with little to no male friends, or friends in general. Work dominates much of our adult lives and free time has become something we choose to make rather than something that comes included with our work. Some of us don't have the kind of time we want to do simple things like hang out, read, or grab drinks after work. I see this issue more prominent in America than people see.
Here's a probable scenario brought forth in John Hamburg's I Love You, Man. Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is the kind of man I described above, about to marry the wonderful Zooey Rice (Rashida Jones) and working as a real-estate agent. However, when he overhears Zooey and her friends talking about how guys like Peter, who really have no male friends, may become clingy and needy to their woman, Peter states bluntly and without reservation, "I need to get some f****** friends." So he tries. He tries to bond with his gay brother's friends at the gym, to little avail. He even tries to bond with some of his wife's friends' husbands to try and get on their good side. It isn't until he meets the offbeat but well-meaning investor Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) at an open house for his client Lou Ferigno. Sydney tells Peter the only reason he is at this particular open house is to take advantage of the free food and the abundance of divorcees that frequent these kinds of gatherings.
Peter and Sydney strike up a bond that is almost immediate, both around the same age, both quirky in their own way, and each balancing each other out - Peter being straight-laced and awkward, Sydney being quick-witted and free-spirited. Peter is convinced he has met his best man, but Zooey thinks otherwise, as the wedding date nears and Peter spends little time with her.
The film rests on the chemistry its actors provide, a typical trait of raunchy comedies from this time period. Rudd and Segel are fun-loving guys, and their buddy-buddy conversations and activities together will possible rekindle the memories of a man's best man or, for younger or unmarried souls, find a bit of themselves and their best friend in these characters. A scene at a Rush concert where Peter and Sydney are singing the band's song "Limelight" loudly and pretending to play their instruments (as well as engaging in some hilariously off-color behavior) is a prime example of the hilarity that ensues when two friends get together. The person that brings the child out in you. You can age and mature for many years but as soon as you see that person, you become your childish self again.
The only issue I found with the film is that the material here seems more well-suited for a drama than a comedy. It wouldn't surprise me if writers Hamburg and Larry Levin recognized this early on, in addition. The reason being is that the second half of the film overdoes Peter's awkward phone conversations with Sydney and uncomfortable actions in general to the point where we think Peter is either socially inept beyond belief or has some sort of condition. By the end of the film, that seems to be the only card the film knows how to play.
Because of this, the humor gets redundant. How often must we watch a man make an idiot of himself to the point where we laugh at him more than with him? Had the second half become more fixated on the drama and the realizations of marriage and friendlessness, there would've been something even more subversive than the material at hand.
As it stands, I Love You, Man is a fun film, a break from the comedies with big actors that fail to deliver, and one that proposes a problem that I still believe is more prominent than people think. However, this is a rare case of a smart film unfortunately not being smart enough, but it's just smart enough to succeed and be rewarding entertainment.
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Lou Ferigno, and Andy Samberg. Directed by: John Hamburg.