Redbox redeemed itself with this gem of a movie after allowing me to rent Transformers 2. The pretext is simple, a guy needs a best man for his wedding and realizes that he doesn’t have any close friends. Awkwardness and comedy ensue as the protagonist, Peter Klaven, tries to find a BFF in time for the wedding. What really made this movie shine was the low key actors sharing the screen well, the comedy and the pacing of the movie.
Paul Rudd (Peter) and (Zooey) Rashida Jones (known to me as Karen Filippelli, Jim’s GF from the second season of The Office) are getting married and I think play the part of a couple preparing to get married really well. I suppose that I liked Jones from The Office and was predisposed to like her in this part. Jason Segel (from How I Met Your Mother) plays Sydney, the man crush for Peter. Scenes are played out in a relaxed, believable manner that makes the jokes and rocking out to Rush all that more engaging.
The humor found in I love you man might make some prudish people uncomfortable but otherwise has very wide appeal. There is subtle humor that some will appreciate, along with some “in your face” projectile vomiting that almost had me rolling on the floor. The sometimes explicit comedy keeps the movie from becoming too sweet which would diminish its value and essence of creativity.
Contemporary comedies like Superbad or Napoleon Dynamite completely like any sort of pacing. I love you man does a great job of giving us the background, starting the conflict, running the conflict up to a crescendo and then resolving the conflict. Very little time is given to pure comedic indulgences and this does an excellent job of keeping the burner on and keeping the audience interested.
I liked the movie a lot, but it won’t be joining my list of favorite movies ever.
A-
–Nat