Search - I Love You, Man [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

The Rebirth Of Platonic Love Between Men!

Happy Camper | Baltimore, Maryland USA | 03/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The United States, in general, is quite a homophobic country. Men are expected to have platonic feelings of love only for immediate family members, such as parents, grandparents, siblings and their own offspring. Sharing one's nonsexual feelings of love outside this tiny world is basically considered taboo. In other cultures this is certainly not the case, something I had the good fortune to experience first hand!



I Love You, Man does a superb job of comparing and contrasting heterosexual women's emotionally rich, same-sex friendships with heterosexual men's typically barren, same-sex friendships. It exposes the hypocrisy that it's okay for women to hug and be emotionally close and talk in graphic details about their sex lives amongst themselves, but NOT for a man to do the same exact thing!



What a refreshing and insightful film! This brilliant story also compares male homosexual and heterosexual same-sex relationships and on the surface, at least, they are indistinguishable! This might be news to some people - but all well-adjusted human beings have a yearning for emotionally rewarding relationships!



And, one person can not fulfill ALL your emotional needs! It's really that simple!



Thank you Hollywood for taking such a risk in making such a profound film with a great sense of humor! It shows you believe a certain segment of the American public is mature enough to want to explore the meaning of platonic love between men!



Platonic Studies"

The Comical Fate of the Sensitive Male

Ed Uyeshima | San Francisco, CA USA | 03/30/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the core of what looks on the surface to be a standard summer buddy movie is an intriguing premise: What does become of the overly sensitized male when confronted with the reality that all his closest friends are female and that he is at a complete loss to find any groomsmen, in particular, a best man, for his wedding? It's not an earth-shattering dilemma to address, yet the situation gives rise to a lot of amusing questions about what constitutes masculine behavior in our supposedly evolved society. Fortunately, director/co-writer John Hamburg (Along Came Polly) has fashioned a 2009 comedy (with co-writer Larry Levin) full of shrewd observations and hilarious gags that transcend formula and elevate the story into something fresh and genuinely likeable.



When sweet-natured L.A. real estate broker Peter Klaven decides to marry Zooey, his girlfriend of eight months, it dawns on both of them that he has no close male friends. Whispers about his manhood and her fear of him being too clingy as a husband lead Peter to set up a series of disastrous man-dates, one being the predictable mistaken gay date. However, it's at an open house at Lou Ferrigno's manse that he meets his personality opposite - Sydney Fife, a slovenly, blunt albeit socially observant slacker. As it turns out, their differences complement one another in a way that makes them best buddies almost from the get-go - that and a common obsession for the 1970's power band Rush. Naturally, Zooey starts to resent Sydney's burgeoning role in Peter's life - and things get complicated before the inevitable conclusion.



Two of Judd Apatow's familiar rep company star. Finally at the center of a major movie, Paul Rudd is ideally cast as Peter since the role takes advantage of how he combines his boyish charm and unpredictable nebbishness into a memorable character. In fact, he manages to give Peter's awkward attempts to overcome his social anxiety a certain emotional resonance. We feel every painful step he takes in replicating Sydney's free spirit, and it becomes easy to root for his success. Much better cast here than as the self-conscious lead in last year's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Jason Segel offers his doughy likeability to a role that suits his casual, lumbering personality, even when he exposes an intimate secret between Peter and Zooey in a wedding party dinner toast.



If the interplay between Rudd and Segel feels familiar from Apatow comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, it is a coincidence that Hamburg takes full advantage of to keep the movie comically involving. Rashida Jones brings a raspy appeal to Zooey, although she is kept mostly at the sidelines. Also underused are Jaime Pressly as Zooey's tart-tongued friend Denise and as Peter's parents, J.K. Simmons (playing the same wiseass father he played in Juno) and especially Jane Curtin. Jon Favreau has a thankless role as Denise's alpha-male jerk of a husband, while Andy Samberg makes a most unconvincing gay as Peter's sleep-around, personal trainer brother. There are plenty of laughs throughout its slightly long 105-minute running time, but what may surprise you is the number of insightful moments that this affectionate, satirical comedy provides."

The most bro-mantic movie ever...

Andrew Ellington | I'm kind of everywhere | 10/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When `I Love You, Man' first came out I rushed to the theater with my then best friend to see it. We had the type of relationship that was very rare I think; a bond that was unlike any I had with anyone else and, to be honest, one I never want to have again (the closer you are the harder they hurt you). Anyways, I'm not trying to be a downer, and I know that no one wants to hear this, but the reason I bring it up is this; when I left the theater that day I really, really loved this movie. I was ready to give it a five-star blazing review. Now that my then best friend and I are no longer speaking to one another I began to wonder if my adoration of this film was blinded love based on a personal connection I had with the subject matter.



It wasn't.



So that is why I mention my god-awful story of betrayed friendship, because in the end `I Love You, Man' still holds up, regardless of you current situation. It is genuine, charming, authentic, original and very, very funny.



The film tells of Peter Klaven; the `girlfriend guy'. He never really had steady friendships because he's not like most men. He's sweet and sensitive and emotional and caring and so he has a great track record with women, but when it comes down to selecting his bridal party (a guy that perfect can never stay single for long) he realizes that he has no friends. So, he embarks on a quest to find a best man, and that is when he runs into Sydney Fife; the complete opposite of Peter. He is crude and abrasive and a total womanizer and comfortable bachelor, but he possesses the same genuineness that Peter has. Each man compliments the other, helping them edge out their own personalities and become more complete individuals.



Why is writing this review making me so depressed?



Anyways, the film is littered with very funny scenes and a lot of well placed humor, but the heart of this film takes a tenderer and even more serious tone of true friendship and that act of finding oneself for the first time. The acting is very good all across the board, especially for this type of feature, but no one does as good a job at really reaching the audience as Paul Rudd. Rudd is flawless here, really grabbing hold of the awkwardness of making friends, of being yourself while constantly trying to impress another person. I know exactly what it's like to call up someone you don't really know but want to get to know (on a friendly level) and find yourself stammering through the most painfully awkward voice mail you've ever left.



I'm telling you; he really is OSCAR worthy here, and that is not something you say very often about performances in this genre of film.



Everything in this film feels so genuine because it is all so believable. I remember looking at my then best friend throughout the film smiling and nudging him, saying "this is so us" and it was; yet sadly it wasn't.



Friendship, and by that I mean TRUE FRIENDSHIP is a rarity today, and I'm thankful that someone finally broke the male bonding stereotype by making a film that is a true testament to the need for real friendship. This is a very smart film that mixes the funny with the heart without ever overdoing it and without ever straying from its objective. With a slew of nicely placed supporting performances (and a scene stealer by Andy Samberg), `I Love You, Man' is the complete package that will make you laugh and smile and, if you're me, cry."

3.5 stars-Enjoyable, escapist comedy

B. Martin | 08/19/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"First, a disclaimer: this is not a Judd Apatow movie nor is it affiliated with him in any way other than the fact that two of his usual supspects-Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are the main stars. Apatow's comedies are messy affairs that feel largely improvised and run the gambit of emotions. I Love You, Man is a tidy, streamlined comedy that flows along smoothly from beginning to end without asking much of the viewer other than to sit back and be entertained. It's also, a genuinely funny movie that creates a warm glow of male camraderie thanks to the effortless chemistry of it's two leads. The plot is simple. Paul Rudd is happily engaged to his fiance and is generally considered by her and her girlfiends to be the perfect boyfriend. There's jost one little problem: he doesn't have any guy friends. Realizing that he needs a best man for his wedding, Rudd goes on an assortment of "man-dates" in an attempt at some much needed male bonding. He finds his man-friend when he meets Sydney Fife, played by Segel. The two bond over a shared love of Rush music and eventually, Rudd's character starts to spend more time with him than with his fiance. This is not exactly a fresh, or innovative plot and you can see the ending coming a mile away. But in the case of I Love You, Man, it's all about the journey. Segel is hilarious as the overgrown man-child Sydney and Rudd is in fine form as well. His attempts at establishg a laid back, guy rapport with Sydney often lead to some akwardly hilarious moments. There are also funny supporting perfromances from Lou Ferrigno and John Favreau. In the end it's not as funny, complicated or profound as an Apatow film, but that's because it isn't one. It's just a fun, escapist, feel good comedy about the enduring friendships between guys. Nothing wrong with that."