Review of I Love You, Man (2009) by James S — 05 Mar 2012

Another offering from the current American comedy fraternity. Why do all these films always have the same people in them? - Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall....there seems to be a clutch of actors who are locking this market out.

Anyway, I Love You, Man is a decent enough effort, certainly better than some of the films that have come our way courtesy of this comical troupe.

The sitcom stars on the big screen here are Paul Rudd and Jason Segal. Rudd is getting married to that girl with the thin lips who was Karen in the US version of The Office but he has no friends to ask to be his best man until he meets Segal and they hit it off causing not all that much stress at all. Writing that makes one realise just what a thin premise for the movie this is.

Thankfully Rudd and Segal are probably the two most talented of their brotherhood (No, Seth Rogen, you are not!) and they seem to have a nice bond on screen. The awkwardness of the new friend situation which can be instantly solved by beer is played out rather well and familiar enough to the audience. In fact, the relationship between the two leads is rather charming and while not earth shattering it certainly helps hold the film together.

There's a healthy dose of humour, which doesn't have to resort to the gross out factor either, provided by the bevy of supporting characters including Jon Favreau's best moment since Swingers. You're not going to be rolling on the floor laughing but there are certainly enough smiles raised, by no means least from the inclusion in the film of Lou Ferrigano as himself, who brings with him a good supply of Hulk jokes.

This is quite a boys movie and the male of the species is likely to find more to identify with here but a strong set of female characters do balance it quite well. This isn't the funniest film ever but it does have an effortless like-ability to it. You won't feel like your world has been rocked with laughter but you will be hard pressed not to feel happy afterwards.