Blu-Ray Review: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel Shine in ‘I Love You, Man’

CHICAGO – John Hamburg’s comedy “I Love You, Man,” now on Blu-Ray and DVD, is a feature that thrives on the copious chemistry and comic timing of its amazingly well-cast leads, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. The two actors are talented enough and the concept clever enough that “I Love You, Man” delivers the laughs that renters and Blu-Ray buyers will expect.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

Not quite as memorable as the best of the genre over the last two years, “I Love You, Man” is most notable for being so consistently entertaining without really being overly memorable. It’s a “smile film” not a “knee-slapper,” a movie without big guffaws but one that’s likely to put a grin on your face for nearly two hours, a feat that’s nowhere near as easy as it looks. “I Love You, Man” will be a satisfactory rental for nearly everyone and a great Blu-Ray release makes it worth a purchase for fans of its stars or comedy collectors in general.

I Love You, Man was released on Blu-Ray on August 11th, 2009.
Photo credit: DreamWorks Home Video

One of the most consistent comedy actors alive, Paul Rudd, plays Peter Klaven, a recently engaged fella (to the lovely Rashida Jones) who realizes during wedding planning that he doesn’t really have a viable candidate for a Best Man. His brother (Andy Samberg) and dad (J.K. Simmons) are close, but he doesn’t have that best buddy to hold the rings as he walks down the aisle.

Peter’s brother suggests that he go on what are basically a series of man-dates. He goes to a soccer game with an annoying high-talker (Joe Lo Truglio), ends up in an awkward miscommunication with a date who wants more than friendship (Thomas Lennon), and eventually finds someone who perfectly balances his awkwardness with what some might call macho insanity in Sydney Fife (Jason Segel).

While Peter is generally shy, Sydney is often overly aggressive and out-going. Like any good friend pairing, the two aren’t exactly the same but bring out the best in each other. When Sydney rubs Peter’s bride-to-be the wrong way, will the “bromance” come to an end or are these two really friends for life?

It would have been easy to rely on Farrelly-esque gross-out humor in “I Love You, Man” (and there definitely is a bit of that including a bit with projectile vomiting), but John Hamburg, who co-wrote and directed, is more interested in character-based comedy than situation-based. I loved the chemistry between Rudd & Segel, two actors who honestly convey friendship by the end of the film. They have a more likable chemistry than most romantic comedy pairings nowadays.

The fact is that Rudd and Segel are two of the more talented comedians in the genre today and their perfect timing and wonderful on-screen friendship are the main reason to see “I Love You, Man” (a supporting cast isn’t bad either…they just naturally take a back seat to the dynamic duo). The script is merely so-so and almost feels a bit underdeveloped at times, but Rudd and Segel should make most audiences fall in “like” maybe even in “love” with this enjoyable comedy.

As most DreamWorks Blu-Rays do, “I Love You, Man” looks amazing in 1080p High Definition and sounds pretty great in an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track. Special features include some fun deleted and extended scenes, a great gag reel, “The Making of I Love You, Man” and a commentary with Hamburg, Rudd, and Segel that proves an old axiom of filmmaking - fun had on set can be contagious. The three creative talents clearly had a blast making “I Love You, Man”.

Before you see the film, check out a very funny deleted scene, courtesy of DreamWorks:

[20]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [21] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [20]