22 - Review: I Love You, Man

On your way out of a movie, you run into a friend. Your friend asks "what did you see?" You say, I Love You, Man. "I Love You, Man?" your friend asks. Yes. I Love You, Man, you reply. Sensing your friend's obvious confusion, you mention that it's the new comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. You explain that Paul Rudd was in The Shape of Things and counter your friend's increasingly blank stare by adding "and he was Mike in 'Friends', too." Intrigued by this unrelated show, your friend asks about the movie's plot. You say that Paul Rudd - Mike from 'Friends' - gets engaged and sets out to find his Best Man. Your friend's face flat-lines. "You see, Paul Rudd - Mike - has no male friends." Your attempt at humour is too late. You take this opportunity to delete your number from the catatonic's phone and slip off into forever.

There's no getting around it; I Love You, Man has an odd premise. It's the sort of conceit that rubs its ass in the face of Robert McKee and everything he stands for (kind of.) Rather than embrace the inherently lightweight nature of the story, the script (by director John Hamburg and Larry Levin) is caught in two minds. By turns, it eschews any sense of drama and goes out of its way to tick boxes. Why else would we see Rudd's Peter explaining that he's just never connected with his brother (the likable Andy "Hot Rod" Samberg) at a family dinner? That's why he doesn't just ask his brother do it, nit-pickers! It's not the only example of this and they're all more than a little jarring.

Right now, you might be wondering "who thinks about narrative structure during a comedy, anyway?" The answer, dear reader, is you. Why? I Love You, Man isn't great. Of all the recent movies either from the Apatow staple (which this isn't) or featuring Apatow alums (which this is), it's the lowest on laughs. And one of the broadest. So when you should be busy busting a gut, you'll be listening to teens marveling at knob and fart gags* and wondering how a supposedly breezy tale can feel so sluggish and directionless.

The dialogue feels either poorly ad-libbed or annoyingly archetypal. A little playfully OTT speech is great.** Good comedies thrive on it. Moreover, "people just don't talk like that" is one of the all-time most meaningless statements (it's a movie, bub.) But when the very bottom rung of rom-com humour is scraped the sound produced makes Mudvayne sound appealing.

If it weren't for the flick's impressive cast, it might have been doomed. Jon Favreau, in particular, acquits himself well as a world-class ganch. But it's frustrating to see Rudd and Segel, two of the finest, most in-form comedic actors around, treading water. They, occasionally, manage to elevate the film but even their combined might cannot make it a Superbad. At best, I Love You, Man is a marginally superior Wedding Daze.

Watch it: because Rush aren't in enough movies.
Don't watch it: if you teach screenwriting.
Ranking: 5/10 (Crewman.)

* There is, of course, nothing wrong with a good wang/"wind" joke. Remember my Watchmen review?
** We have it to thank for "getting a back-rub from an orgasm", lest we forget.

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Ian Pratt loves lame jokes, man.