I Love You, Man

After years of swiping scenes from the leading men in such movies as KNOCKED UP and THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, Paul Rudd finally headlines a star vehicle of his own. Unlike those Judd Apatow productions, it's John Hamburg (ALONG CAME POLLY) who directs I LOVE YOU, MAN, albeit with many of the touchstones of Apatow's highly successful freaks-and-geeks-with-heart aesthetic. In other words, this is not an Apatow film, but, with the male capacity for--and simultaneous inability to express--fraternal love as its core comic conceit (and emotional centerpiece), it may as well be. Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a real estate agent with a blossoming career and an imminent marriage to Zooey (THE OFFICE's Rashida Jones)--basically, he's lucky in all things except male bonding. The narrative arc centers on his quest for platonic man-love--as opposed to, say, finding the girl of his dreams--and follows the boilerplate dictates of a standard rom-com with a subversive wink. In this case, boy meets boy, boys bond over their common love of Rush and Andre the Giant, boys break up and make up, etc. Rudd and co-star Jason Segel (FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL), a fellow Apatow alum who plays Sydney Fife, the Type B object of Klaven's affection, imbue their roles with winning charisma and elevate the plot with real and nuanced chemistry. With a whip-smart pace, the film continually tills fresh comic ground as Hamburg finds punctuation points in every scene and never lets a gag overstay its welcome. While the supporting cast features many memorable turns by the likes of Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressly, and Andy Samberg, I LOVE YOU, MAN ultimately belongs to Rudd, who approaches insecurity and social awkwardness with the same dead-eye marksmanship that Peter Sellers did for slapstick.

Cast:

3 stars out of 5 -- "A canny examination of male friendships and the awkward ways in which they can complicate romantic relationships, this understated, often hilarious comedy best succeeds when hitting on uncomfortable, universal truths..." -- Wade Major , (Box Office)

"The slight Rudd and the gangly Segel strike the right physical contrast for comedy....It's a rare comedy that actually grows funnier on reflection. It benefits enormously from the talents of the two stars." -- Stephen Farber , (Hollywood Reporter)

"The movie works because everything hinges on the camaraderie and undeniable chemistry between Rudd and Segel....I LOVE YOU, MAN's light-hearted exploration of male bonding provides substantial fodder for humor, heightened by the inspired casting of two of the industry's most appealing comic actors." -- Claudia Puig , (USA Today)

"Rudd has long been the nice guy/straight man character in comedies like this and he delivers that again with some added sweetness since this time around his posse is a bunch of gal pals." -- Betsy Sharkey , (Los Angeles Times)

"[A] fitfully funny comedy....[The director] sets a nice, easygoing tone for the actors....That suits the talents of Mr. Rudd, a slack screen presence who owns the patent on male adorableness and is charming to watch..." -- Manohla Dargis , (New York Times)

"Paul Rudd gives a startlingly funny and original performance as a nice guy with serious dweebish tendencies, and the delight of what Rudd does here comes down to how exquisitely embarrassing he is to watch....I LOVE YOU, MAN is on the side of all things rude, raunchy, and guyish..." -- Grade: A -- Owen Gleiberman , (Entertainment Weekly)

3 stars out of 4 -- "Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are howlingly funny....Their presence and ace comic timing kick the movie up a notch." -- Peter Travers , (Rolling Stone)

"After delivering scene-stealing turns in THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP, Rudd claims the much-deserved spotlight in I LOVE YOU, MAN, which in its own endearing way tweaks the very same male-bonding pieties that those movies made a fortune celebrating." , (Washington Post)

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Jason Segel plays Sydney as a man thoroughly comfortable in his own skin, an unapologetic hedonist who uses his intelligence as a comic weapon....I LOVE YOU, MAN is, above all, just plain funny....You feel good watching the movie." -- Roger Ebert , (Chicago Sun-Times)

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