Spring Break
'I Love You, Man' brings romance, bromance delight
Jenna Wright
Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: Entertainment
04/08/09 -Bromances are what's "in" these days and "I Love You, Man," starring Jason Segel and Paul Rudd manages to out-bro even Brody Jenner, the bromance king.
In case you've somehow failed to familiarize yourself with the term, a bromance describes the intense bond between two buddies that makes them practically inseparable.
It's by the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck or Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong that we've come to know and love the bromance, accept the bromance and embrace the bromance.
Directed by John Hamburg ("Along Came Polly"), who collaborated on the script with "Seinfeld" writer Larry Levin, "I Love You, Man" keeps it real, reminding us that friendship is something to be cherished. Rudd stars as the uptight, but successful L.A. realtor, Peter Klaven, who has always been a girlfriend guy. He proposes to his lovely girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones), whose network of girlfriends knows some of the more intimate details of their relationship.
Herein lies the problem: a dude with no dude friends scrambling to find his best man before the wedding. After overhearing a gossip session during a girls-night in, Peter makes moves to find a bro to be his best man. It is through the hilarious trials of "man-dates" that he finally meets the cool, chill dude from Venice Beach, Sydney Fife (Segel) that the bromance is born.
Segel is best known for his work with Judd Apatow on the short-lived televison series "Freaks and Geeks," and more recently as Peter Bretter in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," a film he wrote and Apatow produced. In "I love You, Man" we see Segel follow some of the same Nick Andopolis of "Freaks and Geeks" mannerisms, but slightly cooler.
His easy-going, yet rugged masculinity helps Peter loosen up and get back into "slappin' the bass" and rocking out to Rush in Sydney's converted garage. Peter becomes progressively less awkward but is faced with the dilemma of choosing between his bro and Zooey. She wants "Dude Von Dudenstein" "totes magotes" to take the back burner because she feels neglected.
Since most comedies tend to be formulaic in nature, quality casting is what keeps the film afloat or even amplifies a flimsy plot. This is where Rudd and Segel overtake the script, putting their own genius spin on the theme of this film. Their performances help the film stray from the stereotypical, romantic comedy. Rudd's role as Peter is a realistic, grounded portrayal of someone coming out of his shell.
"I Love You, Man" goes soft toward the end, as most romantic comedies do - but that's not to say that Rudd and Segel's bromance gets mushy; it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
In case you've somehow failed to familiarize yourself with the term, a bromance describes the intense bond between two buddies that makes them practically inseparable.
It's by the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck or Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong that we've come to know and love the bromance, accept the bromance and embrace the bromance.
Directed by John Hamburg ("Along Came Polly"), who collaborated on the script with "Seinfeld" writer Larry Levin, "I Love You, Man" keeps it real, reminding us that friendship is something to be cherished. Rudd stars as the uptight, but successful L.A. realtor, Peter Klaven, who has always been a girlfriend guy. He proposes to his lovely girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones), whose network of girlfriends knows some of the more intimate details of their relationship.
Herein lies the problem: a dude with no dude friends scrambling to find his best man before the wedding. After overhearing a gossip session during a girls-night in, Peter makes moves to find a bro to be his best man. It is through the hilarious trials of "man-dates" that he finally meets the cool, chill dude from Venice Beach, Sydney Fife (Segel) that the bromance is born.
Segel is best known for his work with Judd Apatow on the short-lived televison series "Freaks and Geeks," and more recently as Peter Bretter in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," a film he wrote and Apatow produced. In "I love You, Man" we see Segel follow some of the same Nick Andopolis of "Freaks and Geeks" mannerisms, but slightly cooler.
His easy-going, yet rugged masculinity helps Peter loosen up and get back into "slappin' the bass" and rocking out to Rush in Sydney's converted garage. Peter becomes progressively less awkward but is faced with the dilemma of choosing between his bro and Zooey. She wants "Dude Von Dudenstein" "totes magotes" to take the back burner because she feels neglected.
Since most comedies tend to be formulaic in nature, quality casting is what keeps the film afloat or even amplifies a flimsy plot. This is where Rudd and Segel overtake the script, putting their own genius spin on the theme of this film. Their performances help the film stray from the stereotypical, romantic comedy. Rudd's role as Peter is a realistic, grounded portrayal of someone coming out of his shell.
"I Love You, Man" goes soft toward the end, as most romantic comedies do - but that's not to say that Rudd and Segel's bromance gets mushy; it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
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