Most quotable film of the year, eh? And what quotes would those be, exactly? "Pop a squizno"? "Slammin' da bass"? Hardly inspired stuff, which is a shame because there is so much here to like. I Love You, Man looks like another one of those Judd Apatow-type flicks with the dorky manchild forced to grow up sooner than he's ready for. But unlike those films, the lead character here, played by the usually solid Paul Rudd is already a man with a girl. He's where most Apatow lead characters are aspiring to finish. The problem here is that he needs to open himself up more and perhaps be a little bit like those other characters in order to be happy.
The problem is that Peter(Paul Rudd) has never been much for hangin' out with guys. He's always gotten along better with women, which to me seems pretty friggin' ideal, but when he finds himself planning the wedding to his ill-named fiance Zooey, the topic of his lack of guy friends smacks them right in the face. Peter has no best man. Peter embarks on a series of awkward "man dates"(which already sounds like a euphemism) in order to find a best friend. Of course these go miserably. That is until Peter runs into Sydney Fife at the open house for Lou Ferigno's home, of which Peter is having trouble selling. Sydney is a master observer. He spots the little things about people that others simply don't notice. He's brash, somewhat harsh, but appears to be a genuinely good guy. He and Peter hit it off and soon become buds over their love of 80's rock band Rush and their love of fish tacos. As the two begin spending more time with each other, this causes inevitable conflict between Peter and Zooey, as she sees him less, and when she does she doesn't always recognize the man she loves.
Director and writer John Hamburg, who previously wrote one of the better "buddy" films in Safe Men really has a knack for crafting witty interplay between dudes. Here he also shows his strength for crafting strong, realistic characters. Some of his scenes, particularly between Peter and Zooey, hit strikingly close to home. I'm thinking about one scene where the two argue about why it's okay for her to divulge their every sexual encounter to her friends, but Peter is in the wrong if he does the same. I've had that conversation, and it's infuriating. I especially liked Jaime Pressley as Zooey's best friend, Denise, who's stuck in a verbally combative relationship of her own.
But the stand out here is Jason Segel. I never thought I'd dig this guy, seeing as I hated him in Undeclared all those years ago and didn't dig him in Freaks and Geeks, either. But he won me over in Forgetting Sarah Marshall last year and here he literally steals every scene from the woefully miscast Paul Rudd. Sydney isn't just the typical a-hole best buddy with no regard for the people around him. This could've very easily been a one-note role, but Segel turns Sydney into by far the most likable character in the film. Even when he's giving the most disturbing toast at a dinner party ever, you just can't hate him. He carries this thing into something worth watching, because otherwise I was going out of my mind with things that annoyed me.
Paul Rudd is terrible here. And it's not completely his fault. As good as Hamburg is at the dialogue between pairings, he's awful when it's obvious he's going for a joke. Peter's clumsiness around guys is exaggerated to a ridiculous degree, to the point of being unbelievable. There are a couple of scenes between Rudd and Segel, in which the scene demands it be played straight up, no going for laughs. I'm thinking in particular of the scene where Peter and Sydney have their big fallout. Segel plays it straight, but Rudd didn't. Ruined it. Paul Rudd is a favorite of mine, but his weaknesses are glaring here. He can't not be funny. I don't think he knows how to dial it back, and it's probably why he's best suited to supporting roles or roles where more isn't demanded of him. Also, Rashida Jones a Zooey? Pretty, but can't act. Andy Samburg, the SNL vet who everybody loves right now for whatever reason? Nice hair, dude. Can't act. Totally unbelievable. Stop trying to look cool in everything. Jon Favreau was okay, but I've never been able to buy him as a tough guy. And don't even get me started on the wasted talents of Jane Curtain and JK Simmons. Why were they even there? Not every bit works, like the subplot with Lou Ferigno or the gay guy stalking Peter. It's all just filler, and adds little to nothing in the ways of laughs.
There are some genuinely funny and inspired moments here, like Sydney's "jackoff station" which was hilarious because...well, every guy has one whether they wanna admit it or not. Except me, of course. But there just isn't enough here that made stood out for me other than Segel, and if I had to compare this falls way short of what Sarah Marshall achieved.
6/10
