Paul Rudd has been a valuable comedic supporting player since Clueless, but he proves himself to be a true star in I Love You, Man. As the delightfully named Peter Klaven, Rudd manages to maintain his bizarre sense of humor while still giving a charming, natural, believable performance. He’s not just a character designed to create laughs — he’s a real, fully developed human being.
After Peter gets engaged to Zooey (Rashida Jones) his euphoria is slowly diminished by the realization that he has no real guy friends, providing a stark contrast to the squealing pack of pals Zooey brings over for girls’ night. With the help of his brother (Andy Samberg), Peter embarks on a quest for a best man, going on a series of disastrous “man-dates.”
Segel’s Sydney Saves the Day
The movie truly picks up steam when Peter meets Jason Segel’s Sydney. The other man-dates elicit some laughs, but Segel provides an added dose of hilarity. He is truly a gifted comic actor, one who seems to ooze funny without even trying. The two quickly bond over fish tacos and a mutual love of the band Rush, but their growing bromance soon threatens Peter’s relationship with Zooey.
If you want to know how the story ends, you’ll have to go see I Love You, Man — but lucky for you, it’s a comedy that’s worth seeing. Although the film doesn’t provide many big, laugh-out-loud moments, it’s consistently funny throughout. This is a movie that’s more about smirks and giggles than hearty guffaws.
The film employs several successful running jokes, including Peter’s inability to imitate any accent that doesn’t sound like a leprechaun and his lame attempts to give Sydney a nickname. The movie’s realistic portrayals of men, women and dating also invite the audience to identify with the characters and laugh with them rather than at them.
Sandberg, Jones, Others Shine
Every cast member brings something valuable to I Love You, Man. Jones plays Zooey as a realistic, well-rounded woman — a rarity in a romantic comedy. And Sandberg gives an unusually subdued but consistently funny performance as an refreshingly stereotype-free gay man. J.K. Simmons provides his usual, no-nonsense humor as Peter’s dad, and Jamie Pressly and Jon Favreau steal every scene they’re in as a delightfully dysfunctional couple.
But this is Rudd’s film. He has the ability to make us laugh, makes us identify with him and make us feel sorry for him, all in the same scene. Audiences have always known that he’s a gifted comedian, but this film lets them see that he is truly a gifted actor.
