He Said/She Said #05: I Love You, Man
Brad Sturdivant
October 26th, 2009
He Said/She Said is a bi-weekly column where a male and female reviewer from the site team up to debate the merits of a particular film.
He Said:
Just like sometimes a movie can survive on a novel idea, sometimes a comedy can survive on a single, funny basis. Such is the case with I LOVE YOU, MAN. The idea of a guy trying to find a guy friend is a humorous one, especially for men that are “relationship” men (like me). I really only have two best friends and I’m thankful for them because if they both died tomorrow, I have no idea how I’d find another one.
Aside from a funny idea, I LOVE YOU, MAN is actually a funny film. Comparisons to Apatow’s films are a little unfair, but it does remind me of that type of a comedy. It’s not exceptionally funny, but it’s consistently, mildly humorous and it does have a nice story that people can relate to. This also had a nice cast of supporting characters, with Favreau being funnier than I ever remember him. That, combined with the natural performances of Segal and Rudd, makes this an enjoyable comedy.
I also liked the fact that they didn’t focus on one gag too long. It would’ve been easy to litter the film with gay jokes or homosexual references, but they touch on the subject and then let it go. The Farrelly brothers could take some pointers here. But even though I enjoyed the film, I don’t think this is a film that will transpose genders. This is one of those films that you have to relate to in order to appreciate the awkwardness and humor associated with a guy trying to find a guy friend.
She Said:
I went into this film with a positive attitude ready for a good time. I’ve enjoyed most all of Paul Rudd and Jason Segal’s previous films and I was certain I would find this project a delight. How could these two up and coming comedians put out anything bad? The last couple of years they have charmed me and I knew I Love You, Man was going to be golden. Boy, was I wrong.
The story started out strong enough: a guy who is getting married only to realize that he doesn’t really have any guy friends, thus the search begins. At first it was funny and I found myself laughing out loud. Then Rudd and Segal meet, start hanging out and it just went downhill from there. Although one would think that Rudd and Segal would have a great on-screen chemistry, they do not. I found their antics and conversations to be so bad that I was actually uncomfortable and I had to turn away from the screen during some scenes. And their “jamming sessions” were so terrible I found myself cringing and hating the individual who gave us the air guitar (which was so overused I never want to see that gesture again).
I thought the concept was good but just poorly executed and I can’t believe I wasted almost two hours of my life. This was almost as bad as one of those parodies that have been coming out of late, and I REALLY despise those movies. If you want some Rudd and Segal action, then catch them when they are starring in separate films and pray we never have to sit through a dreadful film like this again.
