A “man date” (not to be confused with what the electorate gave President Obama) is a platonic social outing with another male that may lead to friendship. So why does Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a young, handsome realtor engaged to his attractive girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones), need to go on “man dates”? As Peter and Zooey prepare for their wedding, Zooey notices that Peter has no male friends. As Peter watches Zooey laugh and gossip with her large group of gal pals, he realizes that a) his wedding party will look unbalanced and b) he would actually like some male friends. He gets along great with the girls in the office, but doesn’t have much in common with the males in his life. In an effort to find a male friend to be his best man, Paul’s mother (Jane Curtain) and his gay brother (Andy Samberg) arrange a series of “man dates.” These dates provide a series of predictable laughs. Eventually, Peter meets Sydney (the very funny Jason Segal) and it seems he may finally have his best man.

At first, it seems that Sydney is everything Peter is not. Sydney is big, loud and aggressive. He is comfortable in his “maleness” and open about his appreciation for women and his desire for sex without commitment. And unlike Peter, Sydney seems to have a  group of male friends that he has known for years. But despite these difference, the two men like the same music, make each other laugh and share confidences. And as they get to know each other, they find ways to improve each other’s lives. 

Rudd and Segal are charming and funny in their scenes together and have real chemistry as they walk Sydney’s dog in Venice Beach, eat seafood and get drunk and enjoy the comforts of Sydney’s “man cave.” The scenes of the women friends together discussing their sex lives in intimate detail and conferencing on their cell phones are funny and well written. The supporting cast (including Jane Curtain, Andy Samberg,  J.K. Simmons, Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly) all turn in strong comic performances.  But while there are several big laughs in the film, I Love You, Man is nowhere close to the laugh fest of  Superbad, The Forty Year Old Virgin, or even Knocked Up.  And a comedy with this cast should be funnier.

I Love You, Man is what I call a compromise film. I saw it with another woman and a man. It was not on the top of our lists, but it was a film we could agree on.  As a comedy, I would give it a B or B-.  But what I Love You, Man does have is likable characters who are a little older and a bit more mature than some of the characters in the above mentioned films. Peter, Sydney and Zooey are genuinely nice people who actually want to help each other. My favorite scene in I Love You, Man is  when Sydney tries to entice his group of male friends to continue their male bonding session, and they all (including Peter) have prior plans with their children, wives or girlfriends. Jason Segal shows his vulnerable side as the audience realizes that, despite outward appearances, Sydney is perhaps even lonelier than Peter, and needs their friendship more that he thinks.

While I am not acquainted with any men who have gone to these lengths to acquire male friends, I do know adults of both genders who lament the difficulty of making new friends in new places or who suddenly find all their friends swept away by marriage, children and work. There is something sweet, serious and very real about Peter’s desire for male bonding and the realization by both men of the significance of their friendship. It is also interesting to see this film’s idea of what men talk about when they are alone together. While films like Sex and the City and He’s Just Not That into You celebrate female friendship, it is rare to see a film about male characters tentatively trying to pay attention to their emotional needs, and about adult men trying to make new friends.

I Love You, Man. Directed by John Hamburg. With Paul Rudd(Peter Klaven), Jason Segal (Sydney) Rashida Jones(Zooey), Jane Curtain(Joyce Klaven), Andy Samberg(Robbie Klaven),  J.K. Simmons(Oswald Klaven), Jon Favreau(Barry) and Jaime Pressly (Denise). Dreamworks SKG,2009.

 

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

 

Tweet  Print This Post

Tags: Gail sees a movie, movies // Add Comment »