I Love You, Man

And the comedy hits keep coming. I Love You, Man is a funny film that surprisingly isn't directed/written/produced by Judd Apatow. It seems like any mention of comedy nowadays must use the Apatow name as a comparison for success, but rest assured that I Love You, Man stands apart from that. There isn't an Apatow touch here, forced or otherwise, and I'm thankful for it. We get plenty of those in a year, so I like one that does its own thing. And what do we get with I Love You, Man? We get to see Paul Rudd and Jason Segel act like a couple of hilarious dorks for a couple of hours. The film is ripe with awkward moments, leading to some big laughs, which is where Rudd shines. He plays awkward, but his character knows how awkward he is, and that makes the humor more poignant. Then you have Segel, who is a guy that speaks his mind, sometimes at the worst moments, but you understand the friendship that plays out onscreen. I'd be his friend. The script for I Love You, Man is tight and contained so that the audience doesn't have a chance to get bored. At only one point was I really disappointed, and that was the cliched break-up/reuniting business that plagues many a movie. But then you have some wonderful Lou Ferrigno moments to make up for it. Oh, and keep an eye out for Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly, who make for an... interesting couple. The year is only just beginning, but I think I Love You, Man will stand out as one of the best.

Genre - Comedy (3.5)

Screenplay (4)
Acting (4)
Production (3)
Directing (3)