Review of I Love You, Man (2009) by Gary M — 11 Jan 2012

Paul Rudd has been making a career of being a comedic sidekick ("Anchorman", "40-Year Old Virgin", "Knocked Up", etc) so it's great to see him take on a leading role. He is awkward and uncomfortable to watch...so in other words, he nailed it! Rudd stars as Peter Klaven, a real estate agent who has just gotten engaged to Zooey Rice ("The Office's" Rashida Jones) and realized that he has no male friends to serve as groomsmen. With Zooey's urging he sets up a series of "man dates" which all end in embarrassing failures because of his lack of "guy knowledge". He finally meets Sydney Fife ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall's" Jason Segel) with whom he instantly bonds thanks in part to their mutual obsession with the band "Rush". As their friendship grows Peter's relationship with his fiance wanes and he soon has to make a decision with whom to side.

Paul Rudd does a great job of screwing things up in impossibly awkward ways. I can't tell you how many times I had to look away from the screen just because I was embarrassed for him. These are all good things of course. Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons and Jon Favreau round out a great supporting cast as the laughs pile up.