Plot
Friendless Peter Klaven goes on a series of man-dates to find a Best Man for his wedding. But when his insta-bond with his new B.F.F. puts a strain on his relationship with his fiancée, can the trio learn to live happily ever after?
Release Year: 2009
Rating: 7.2/10 (76,624 voted)
Critic's Score: 70/100
Director:
John Hamburg
Stars: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones
Storyline Peter Klaven's world revolves around his real estate work and Zooey, his soon-to-be fiancée. After he pops the question, she calls her best friends and they go into wedding planning mode. Peter has no male friends and that poses problems: will he turn out to be a clingy guy, and who will be his best man? Zooey, her friends, and Peter's brother Robbie offer help that results in awkward moments. Then, at an open house Peter's hosting, he meets Sydney, an amiable, low-key guy. They trade business cards, and Peter calls him to meet for drinks. A friendship develops that's great at first but then threatens Peter's engagement and career. Can guys be friends and couples be in love?
Writers: John Hamburg, Larry Levin
Cast: Paul Rudd
-
Peter Klaven
Rashida Jones
-
Zooey Rice
Sarah Burns
-
Hailey
Greg Levine
-
Hailey's Date
Jaime Pressly
-
Denise
Jon Favreau
-
Barry
Jane Curtin
-
Joyce Klaven
J.K. Simmons
-
Oswald Klaven
Andy Samberg
-
Robbie Klaven
Jean Villepique
-
Leanne (Davis Dunn Receptionist)
Rob Huebel
-
Tevin Downey
Kym Whitley
-
Female Co-Worker
Colleen Crabtree
-
Female Co-Worker
Caroline Farah
-
Female Co-Worker
Mather Zickel
-
Gil
Filming Locations: 1 Electra Ct, Los Angeles, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $40,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $17,810,270
(USA)
(22 March 2009)
(2711 Screens)
Gross: $71,109,289
(USA)
(24 May 2009)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Jason Segel and Paul Rudd reprise their roles in a video shown on Rush's Time Machine tour. The duo manage to get backstage and meet the band after the performance.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
Sydney takes a photo of Peter, to be used in a billboard advertisement, with his iPhone. The iPhone's camera is 3 megapixels which is no where near the resolution needed to use in a big billboard.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Peter Klaven:
So, my plan is to create this cluster of live/work lofts all along the perimeter here. And - come here - also I'm planning this neighborhoody, kind of dining and retail area in the central square. You know I even had this thought that you, Denise, and Haley could open up a second location for your store... Zooey:
Really? Because Denise keeps talking about wanting to open up another branch. Peter Klaven:
Well it would be great. I I look, the land is a little pricey, so I couldn't develop it right away. But once I sell the Ferrigno Estate I figured out I could at least put a down payment on it, and still have enough money left over for the reception in Santa Barbara...
[...]
User Review
A Nutshell Review: I Love You, Man
Rating: 10/10
I Love You, Man is a delightful film not just for its brand of humour
which worked almost all the time, nor because it stars the bunch of
contemporary jokers who have taken Hollywood by storm, but because it
had a meaningful story to tell, and has translated that key insight of
friendships and relationships for the big screen effortlessly, wrapping
up some deep, intrinsic behavioural observation deceptively behind a
curtain of laughter.
Like the 40 Year Old Virgin in its quest for a woman to get laid with
to pop his cherry, this film works on the reverse in its protagonist's
quest for a male friend, since Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) has no problems
with female friendship as he's the quintessential ladies man, only that
he's about to marry his fiancé Zooey (Rashida Jones). Since the bride
has a maid of honour, it's up to Peter to find a balance in a best man,
only that he hasn't really had a man friend for the longest time, and
so begins a crazy montage of hooking up with casual friends in the hope
of striking gold.
It might seem like a hypothetical situation, but as the film
progressed, it brings to mind how many of us have friends (male or
female) that we sometimes take for granted in knowing that they'll
always be there for us. Only a reality check brings up the fact that
everyone has their own personal lives to lead, and it wouldn't be nice
to impose (mid-life crisis singles, hands up here), especially not with
an ulterior motive. Some of us too when having a girlfriend, tend to
allow male friends to fall on the wayside as we skirt chase, and
depending on whether you get someone who provides that much leeway as
Zooey, you can kiss goodbye to those male-bonding sessions.
Then there's the difference between the premise of a girl's night out,
and a guy's, and the dynamics of what happens within the groups. It can
be somewhat stereotypical here in the film, but you get the drift as
the film lays it all out on the table, with the girls talking about the
boy-stuff behind their backs, and the worst bit being that cause for
comparison, and the guys, well, talk about what else, sex! There are
some lines clearly drawn here in what can, or cannot be discussed, and
how much of that you can bring to the table, and how much you can take
away from. A secret's a secret, and should stay that way with clear
segregation in order to prevent upsetting anyone. Talk about
compromises and "truth".
If what you're saying is that it reeks of hypocrisy, then yes,
sometimes it does, and the married couple played by Jaime Pressly and
Jon Favreau (yes, he who directed Iron Man) epitomizes the crankiness
of a marriage with its idiosyncrasies, and the hypocrisies that come
with presenting a united front, and worse of all, trading favours in
both directions. They have some of the best lines and insane moments in
the film, and poor Jon has got to suffer two verbal abuses (for you to
watch and find out).
Many of us who have remembered Jason Segel's comical turn in Forgetting
Sarah Marshall, and here he cuts his Sydney Fife both ways, one an
alpha male type who seems way cool with his frat boy sensibilities,
which is actually a facade for a lonely life he leads in his garage
where he can be the man he actually is. As the friendship between Peter
and Sydney grow from their numerous hanging out sessions, from short
drinking sessions to weekend rendezvous just to jam to their favourite
tunes, so too does the strain in Peter and Zooey's relationship,
because as the saying goes, two's a company, and three's a crowd. This
aspect serves as an adversary in the film, though it doesn't come
unexpected when it suddenly dawns upon Peter that he can't have two
birds in one hand. Being the novice in this aspect of a man-friend
relationship here, there are many times Peter trips up, and the
experienced us would know that it's perfect danger territory to find
yourself in.
And who would have thought friendship and relationships could be such a
chore, especially when expectations start flying around being that
spanner ready to be thrown in the works. As a comedy, this film hit
plenty of right spots in eliciting laughter from the audience, with
funny lines that do work, and carefully crafted characters in Peter
(with his nonsensical one- liner conversation endings, and nicknames),
and Sydney being quite multi-dimensional. And what's a film like this
about man-friends without that dose of fanboy-dom in it, with the
Incredible Hulk Lou Ferrigno playing himself in a very short supporting
role, and many other film references thrown in for good measure too?
I Love You, Man is an excellent story on friendship, and what makes
friendship tick. For that and its healthy dose of comedy, and a great
spin on the tired romantic-comedy genre, it goes without a surprise
into my list of contenders for top films of the year.
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