There have been loads of reliably funny American comedies in recent years, mostly involving Seth Rogen. I Love You, Man does not, but it is another man-centred titter-fest with a load of familiar faces. Quite dirty, quite sweet, it’s everything you would expect if you think Superbad and Knocked Up – which is to say very good.
Paul Rudd plays Peter, a serious fellow who has always concentrated on his romantic relationships with women at the expense of his platonic ones with men. When he gets engaged to Zooey (Rashida Jones), he realises he has no-one to be his best man so he decides to find a friend. He meets Sydney (Jason Segel, the big dopey one from How I Met Your Mother and Forgetting Sarah Marshall), a slob with no responsibilities.
The first act is actually quite sad. The awkwardness of trying to make new friends is something that we can all relate to, and Rudd is the everyman who always seems to put his foot in it. Things brighten up when Sydney turns up, and the film’s pitch of ‘a guy learning how to be a guy’ starts.
It is a funny idea, and it is well played by the lovable Rudd and Segel. They have found themselves on the frat-comedy treadmill of late so are well-practiced. There’s a welcome role for Jaime Pressly as one of Zooey’s friends, and Jon Favreau plays against type by portraying a meanie.
All in all, this is another slightly-less-than-instantly forgettable comedy with plenty of laughs throughout.
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