The Best Bromance Comedy Ever Made On Paramount+ Is A Modern Classic
If you grew up during the golden era of Comedy Central, you probably spent a lot of time watching silly, over-the-top comedy films with stars that have all gone on to provide grounded dramatic performances or achieve massive Marvel stardom. One of the best comedies of this era is 2009’s I Love You, Man, which stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. The film, which is currently streaming on Paramount+, offers some hilarious jokes, a lot of heart, and a particularly moving plot about the tenuous nature of adult friendships.
I Love You, Man Is John Hamburg’s Greatest Achievement
I Love You, Man was written and directed by John Hamburg, based on an initial story by Larry Levin. Before helming the hilarious movie, Hamburg was best known for his screenwriting credits on films such as Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, and Zoolander. While Hamburg has since had major directorial success with movies such as Why Him? starring Bryan Cranston and the Netflix original Me Time starring Kevin Hart, I Love You Man is still his greatest achievement thus far.
A Man Without A Friend
As stated, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel star as the dual leads for I Love You, Man, though they are accompanied by a hilarious cast of comedy greats. Rashida Jones, Sarah Burns, Jaime Pressly, J.K. Simmons, Nick Kroll, and Andy Samberg round out the cast, alongside several others. The film centers around a real estate agent named Peter Klaven, who realizes that he doesn’t have any close male friends after decades of focusing exclusively on romantic relationships with women.
Jason Segel Never Misses
After proposing to his long-term partner, Peter struggles to fill out his list of groomsmen, sending him on a bizarre and arduous hunt for a platonic male bestie before the day of his wedding. In an age of increased online relationships, I think we can all relate a little bit to the story in I Love You, Man, especially those of us who have work-from-home jobs that don’t force us into frequent social situations. After attempting to force a friendship with a handful of incompatible strangers, Peter all but gives up on finding companionship, until he stumbles into a chance encounter with one of the greatest movie characters ever written, Sydney Fife.
Introvert Adoption Leads To Listening To Rush
Sydney crosses paths with Peter as the latter stages an open house to sell the home of former Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno, who portrays himself in a side-splitting cameo. Peter is quickly engrossed by Sydney’s charismatic lifestyle, and the two become fast friends, despite having a completely different approach to daily life. If you’ve ever heard of the concept of an extrovert “adopting” an introvert as their friend, that’s exactly what happens as I Love You, Man builds to a humorous and surprisingly-heartfelt conclusion.
You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry, You’ll Slap The Bass
GFR SCORE
While most down-the-middle comedies of this style receive poor critical reviews and massive audience favor, I Love You, Man actually managed to earn a lot of critical praise. The film was lauded for its funny writing, moving performances, and original ideas, and currently touts a whopping 83 percent certified fresh critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. If you’re interested in checking out I Love You Man for yourself, the film is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
