An Apatow-lite "bromance," "I Love You, Man," is big on charm and hits the right notes, but it still somewhat of a mid-level entry into the "men are lovable children" subgenre of romantic comedies.
Hey, you can't hit a home run every time.
"Man" stars Paul Rudd as Peter Klaven, a real estate agent who just landed a big client (he's selling Lou Ferrigno's house, leading to a fantastic confrontation between Ferrigno and Sydney) but isn't sure he can swim with the sharks in the real estate waters.
He just got engaged to Zooey (Rashida Jones, NBC's "Parks and Recreation"), and is somewhat of a ladies' man.
No, not in the sense that he bounces from woman to woman. Peter just has a bunch of female friends. He's sensitive, easy going and loves to talk about his feelings. And he has very few male buddies.
You can imagine this might pose a problem when looking for a best man, so Peter decides to "date" a few guys in search of a best bud to be his best man.
Enter Sydney (Jason Segel of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), a free-spirited single guy who embraces his manself, even those parts of him that so-called polite company might frown on.
He and Peter become fast friends, sharing a passion for, among other things, the rock band Rush. Peter learns to embrace his manhood a little more, and gains a best bud in the process.
Of course, you know conflict rears its ugly head? Is Sydney the man for Peter? Will he find his BFF in time for the wedding? Will he sell Lou Ferrigno's house?
The film sports a pretty robust cast, with leads Rudd, Segel and Jones, to supporting players Jaime Pressly (TV's "My Name is Earl"), Jon Favreau, Andy Samberg of "Saturday Night Live," SNL legend Jane Curtin, and J.K. Simmons ("Juno").
The laughs are solid and don't disappoint, but lack the zing and naughty bite of some of the more recent films starring some of these same actors, like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Knocked Up."
Still, if you're a fan of those films, you'll likely not be disappointed with "I Love You, Man." Rudd and Segel have bromantic chemistry to spare, and their signature ad-libbing is in full effect.
The DVD extras are similarly solid, with a gag reel, deleted, extended and alternate scenes (along with an alternate take reel where you see the same sequence with different jokes), along with a making-of and a commentary by director John Hamburg, Rudd, and Segel.
Film: 3 1/2 Yaps DVD Extras: 3 1/2 Yaps
Read Nick Rogers' review of "I Love You, Man" here.