Review: I Love You, Man
It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, that I was really looking forward to this comedy starring Paul Rudd as Peter Klaven and Jason Segel as Sydney Fife. Everyone knows the plot premise so I won’t get into that.
On a comedic level, the film succeeds exactly as you want it to. It’s not very “Apatow-Esque” (Because it is actually not an Apatow film) but more so the comedy is a great mix of the personalities of Rudd and Segel. Nobody plays an aloof straight-man like Rudd, who plays the part with underscored wit and charm. Segel, as he has proved in the hit series (and one of my favorites), How I Met Your Mother, is made for this role as the quirky, well-meaning best friend-to-be. Segel’s strange and honest Sydney Fife, is the perfect counterpart to Rudd’s shy and naive Peter Klaven. Also, all the other actors in the film, including Andy Samberg, Jon Favreau and Jamie Pressley, provide a wonderful supporting cast that bring plenty of laughs themselves.
The story part of the film has gotten some criticism for being a bit boring and a tad formulaic, however, I would disagree. The film does use the familiar romantic comedy formula, but it the film is not really about Peter’s relationship with his fiancee Zoeey (Rashida Jones), it is about the friendship between Peter and Sydney. In doing so, it is actually rather refreshing and very enjoyable look at friendships and their impacts on relationships.
