Review: Movie throws new twist at old genre
“I Love You, Man” is a light-hearted, fun comedy that has given birth to a new genre some are calling “bromance.” Paul Rudd (“Anchorman”) plays Peter Klaven, a down-to-earth guy who has a perfect fiancée (Rashida Jones, “The Office”), a nice house and an all around good life. The only thing he doesn’t have is a friend. No male friends at all.
Instead Peter spends his time making root beer floats for his wife’s friends when they come over.
When Peter realizes he needs a best man for his wedding, he sets out on a series of “man-dates” to find that special someone he can call his friend.
Peter instead finds a plethora of unsavory people like the male chauvinist played by Jon Favreau (Ironman) and a guy that is looking for something more than just friends.
Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) enters the picture when Peter is showing an expensive house in the hills of Hollywood. Sydney comes to open houses for the finger foods and divorced women. They immediately hit it off.
The film plays out like a romance between two buddies. Instead of the tired story of guy meets girl, they fall in love, they fight, they get back together, it’s now both guys doing those exact same things. It throws a new twist into an old genre.
We know what’s going to happen next because we are all familiar with the romantic comedy formula, but here that formula is played to perfection.
It’s interesting to watch Peter and Sydney try and guide their way through their plutonic male relationship. Sydney embodies the freedom that Peter needs. Peter has lived his life too uptight until now.
It’s comforting that Sydney is a good guy throughout the entire movie. Nothing he does is out of malice, but for the sheer pleasure of pleasing a friend.
Where “I Love You, Man” really excels, though, is it really is just a good old funny movie. It has its standard gags, yes, but even then there’s little twists that make them funnier than the joke you’ve heard before.
Sydney’s observations about a man in the open house who wants to fart but can’t do it around the girl he just met are priceless.
This film will give you a lot of genuine laughter, and you wouldn’t expect anything less from this ensemble cast.
–aaron.peck@aggiemail.usu.edu