In the droll and often laugh-out-loud comedy “I Love You, Man,” Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is looking for a boy friend. Not a “boyfriend,” but a guy he can ask to be his best man. Engaged to Zooey (Rashida Jones), Peter is charming to women, but does not have any male pals or best-man prospects. Cataloguing the guys he knows — a smarmy coworker, and an ornery fencing opponent — he silently agrees with Zooey’s BFF Hailey (Sarah Burns) that it is impossible to find a good man. Surely, some gay viewers will agree.
Peter takes steps to find a bud he can befriend, even going on “man dates” set up by his mother (Jane Curtin) and his gay brother Robbie (Andy Samberg). One of these “dates” — with a guy named Doug (Thomas Lennon, Lt. Dangle on “Reno 911”) — even ends with a French kiss, which is more than straight-man Peter anticipates or appreciates.
“I Love You, Man” chronicles how challenging it is for straight guys to become friends as they grow older. “Hooking up is easy. Platonic friends, not so much,” one character bemoans. And again, queer viewers might laugh at — or with — these observations, depending on their own friendship/relationship status.
The film creates both comedy and drama as Peter develops a “bromance” (two men sharing a non-sexual relationship) with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel). Sydney is honest where Peter is polite. Sydney is carefree where Peter is uptight. And Sydney is straight and single where Peter is engaged. This odd couple makes a perfect match. After beers and fish tacos, hanging out in Sydney’s “man cave” and playing some Rush songs, it’s full-on man-love, just without the kissing or sex.
All would be well except comic complications, of course, ensue. Although Zooey is pleased that Peter has a new BFF, when she meets Sydney at the couple’s engagement party, they do not quite hit it off. Perhaps it was his public speech about her not giving Peter enough oral sex that set her teeth on edge.
Such uncomfortably funny moments occur throughout “I Love You, Man,” which frequently stoops low for a joke. The naughty screenplay by director John Hamburg and Larry Levin manages several pubic-hair references in the first reel, as well as lengthy discussions about blowjobs, farts and masturbation habits. There are even two episodes of projectile vomiting — both quite hilarious. The comedy may be crude, but the message behind it is actually quite poignant.The relationship that develops between Peter and Sydney is more tender and loving than that of Peter and his fiancée. “I Love You, Man” shows how these guys need each other, while deliberately taking Peter and Zooey’s relationship for granted.
Thankfully, Rudd’s Peter is an adorable, bumbling neurotic. The actor endears because he is sweet and insecure, often simultaneously. His efforts to put on an accent for comic effect, or give Sydney a cool nickname, fail ridiculously. Rudd is wonderfully self-deprecating and a master at being flummoxed and flustered in these scenes. His performance makes viewers care about him getting the guy and the gal.
In contrast, Sydney may be an overgrown child, but he reads people well, and Segel is immensely likable in the role. His gentle-giant approach provides an appropriate comic foil for Rudd’s Peter. These two guys have an appealing rapport.
As he teaches the un-self-confident Peter how to become empowered — taking him under a bridge on the beach to teach him to scream — Sydney makes Peter not just more of a man, but a better man. Their brotherly love is deep without ever being intense, which Zooey appreciates even if she doesn’t always understand it. Incidentally, the gay Doug neither appreciates nor understands it, as his snarky comments prove whenever he runs into Peter and Sydney hugging or touching in public.
Perhaps the weakest element in “I Love You, Man” is the inclusion of the gay brother character, Robbie. Despite Samdberg’s enthusiasm, his role is sadly underwritten and almost superfluous. For a film about men falling in love, albeit platonically, it’s a shame the queer characters are not allowed more screen time, or even romantic happiness.
That said, queer viewers will most likely enjoy “I Love You, Man.” They may even love it, man.