REVIEW

“I Love You, Man”

Rating: 6/10

Lip-syncing to Rush with no shirts on, harassing celebrities, taking silly pictures of each other, starting a jam band in the garage and spending every possible moment together: these are all typical adult male-bonding activities, right?

OK, so maybe most guys are more prone to playing video games, or watching football and having a beer.

But when you meet your first best friend in your 30s, it is never too late to fulfill a few boyhood fantasies.

“I Love You, Man,” starring Paul Rudd is all about just that, the crazy and stupid things guys do with their friends. Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a lovable guy with a great girl (Rashida Jones) and a great job, but no friends. With his wedding fast approaching, Peter’s family desperately tries to find some friends to be his groomsmen and sets him up on various “man-dates” to meet some new pals.

Peter’s brother Robbie (Andy Samberg) is a homosexual personal trainer who proves his ability to meet guys by getting straight, married men to go out with him. When even advice and “man-dates” set up by Robbie fall through, it seems that there is no hope, until Peter meets the eccentric Sydney Fife (Jason Segel).

Sydney is nothing like the sensitive sweetheart we are used to seeing from Segal in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “How I Met Your Mother.” In “I Love You, Man,” Segal plays the type of guy that doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him by not picking up after his dog in public, starting fights with strangers and proudly displaying a self-pleasuring station in clear sight where he hangs out with people. His character is the complete opposite of the dorky leading role played by Rudd, but their chemistry is so convincing, they probably really do some of these things when they’re off the set.

Rudd is charming and sweet and his comedic timing makes even the most awkward moments hilarious. Though Rudd is the perfect leading loser that audiences are sure to fall for, it is really the supporting cast that makes the film. Jaime Pressly and on-screen hubby Jon Favreau play a couple who are either fighting or making plans to “make up” in their limited scenes. There is just not enough of their comical love-hate relationship in the film.

“I Love You, Man” has plenty of scenes driven by immature humor and lewd jokes, but most of the writing is surprisingly clever. It comes at the perfect time, while the current fad seems to be an obsession with “bromances,” and would be the perfect flick for date night with that special man in your life.