Bromantic Comedy = Meh, okay.
I Love You Man,
Movie Review
By Jessica Dwyer
Paul Rudd is cementing himself as the good looking funny guy of the decade. He’s got the acerbic wit of a jaded smartass and yet has the pretty blue eyes that say “Love me; I’m really not a dick.” But girls like me who like our guys jaded and full of smartass will maybe not enjoy him as much as they did in say, 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up in his new starring vehicle, I Love You Man.
Not to say the film isn’t funny, it is. But its also so formulae that it hurts. It could have stood a bit more edgier comedy…or maybe more ad libbing. I’m not sure but it felt like there was something missing.
Rudd is likeable as the male lead who is marrying his girlfriend. But we discover he’s got no male friends to speak of, so he’d have no best man at his wedding. His fiancée’s friends are a little creeped out by this as well…and so everyone decides he should start “man dating” perspective best friends. This leads him to Jason Segel who turns out to be his perfect hetero lifemate.
There are some truly funny bits such as the Man Dates, Lou Ferrigno’s epic tale, and everything that deals with Rush as well as John Favreau and Jaime Pressly’s relationship. But Rudd is wasted with a character that is so inherently nice. He’s at his best when he’s being a sarcastic ass. Here he seems to be trying to channel some strange Hugh Grant type. He’s more suited for Favreau’s “I hate everyone” husband.
Segel is great, but his character and the rest of the film becomes cliché. And maybe that was the point as it quickly becomes a parody of every chick flick ever made. See its funny cause its dudes! Get it?!
There’s also another problem I have with this film, that seems to occur in a lot of these comedies lately…and that’s the female characters come off as underwritten or just plain annoying. Case in point, Rudd’s fiancée who half way through the film acts like a complete pain in the ass when suddenly her man has other interests than only her. After her attitude I’m sort of wondering why he’s marrying her too. Why is it that the women in these comedies always seem to be whiney and annoying…or just plain bitches? But I digress…
I’m coming off meaner than I should. The movie is fun fluff, but I’ve come to expect more from these guys. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was great; Rudd is funny and steals any movie he’s in typically. But here he’s given a bland character to play and Segel gets most of the good funny lines, which isn’t a bad thing, but he can do better than this film too.
I would say rental for this one boys and girls. Good movie but lost opportunity.