Remember the sweet, studious step-brother from Clueless? That was Paul Rudd. The hunky mega-jerk from Wet Hot American Summer? Also Paul Rudd. The ultra-cool but slightly disfunctional brother-in-law from Knocked Up? You get my drift. Paul Rudd has been around, shining a little light on his films from whatever role he's playing. Paul Rudd forces you love him. He has some kind of magic.
The many faces of Paul Rudd
I Love You, Man finds Rudd in a rare position for the actor: leading man. While billed as a kind of buddy-comedy (it has, alas, brought the term "bromance" into fairly regular use), the film really stars Rudd in the primary position as Peter Klaven, a good-natured but dorky real-estate agent and serial-monogamist who has never really had any close, male friends.
Enter Jason Segal. Remember the talk goofy guy from Freaks and Geeks? Okay, okay, I'll spare you the reminiscences of Segal's past roles, but once again, here is someone whose mere presence on screen can produce a smile. I can't think of a pair of actors I'd rather see in a light-hearted comedy. Even if it means I have to say "bromance."
I think it's fair to say that this film is part of the lovable-loser comedy revolution that Judd Apatow seems to have revived several years ago with 40-Year-Old Virgin. Compared to other films of that ilk – Superbad, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall – the majority of I Love You's dialogue and subject matter feels a little tame, but it has so much more comedic bang than your average romantic comedy that it seems unfair to group it with that latter genre. Sure, there's no full-frontal nudity, but this is hardly Fool's Gold. The film also greatly benefits from a stellar supporting ensemble; in addition to Rashida Jones (The Office) as Peter's fiancee, the film casts Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl) and Jon Favreau as a hot-tempered couple, and Jane Curtin, J.K. Simmons, and Andy Samberg as the Klaven family. They even have Daily Show great Larry Wilmore in a cameo with only one line, and the list goes on.
I Love You, Man is a funny, happy movie that revels in its own weirdness, just as its stars love to revel in theirs. It may not be the movie of the year, but there's no doubt you'll have fun watching.
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