I Love You, Man
· Studio: Paramount Home Video
· Theatrical Release Year: 2009
· US DVD Release Date: August 11, 2009
· Rated: R (for pervasive language, including crude and sexual references)
· Running Time: 105 minutes
· Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 anamorphic
· Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish)
· Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Movie: 3 out of 5
Paul Rudd stars as Peter Klaven, a real estate agent in Los Angeles who has just proposed marriage to his girlfriend of eight months, Zooey (Rashida Jones). As Zooey begins calling all her friends of the impending nuptials, the couple realizes that Peter doesn’t have a lot of male friends to include in the wedding party, let alone one he can appoint as Best Man. His gay brother, Robbie (SNL’s Andy Samberg), tries to set him up on “man dates” to help him find potential groomsmen, with disastrous (and often humorous) results. One day, Peter is holding an Open House at one of his properties and strikes up a conversation with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a laid-back, self-employed financial planner. The two hit it off and begin a “bromance” that ultimately puts a strain on Peter and Zooey’s engagement.
I admit, I had low expectations going into I Love You, Man. Comedies lately have been rather boring, often too desperate to make its audience laugh. Ultimately, I Love You, Man works as a comedy because it hits its mark more often than not, but also rings true with how people today are so caught up in their careers that they allow friendships to wither away and how difficult it is as you mature to make new friends. Rudd has been very good at playing likeable but awkward characters in films like Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin, and he gets to play that role front and center here. Jason Segel’s Sydney is, on the surface, an easy-going guy who has no plans for commitment, but underneath you can see that he is a lonely guy, beginning to realize that his friends are spending more time with their families and less time with him. Rashida Jones is adorable as Zooey, using her comedic talents as she does quite nicely on NBC’s hit comedy Parks and Recreation. Jane Curtin and J.K. Simmons are hilarious as Peter’s parents, and Sarah Burns and Jaime Pressly are good as Zooey’s friends and future bridesmaids.
I Love You, Man may not be the best comedy I have ever seen, but it is one of the funniest films I’ve had the pleasure of viewing in a long time.
Video: 3 out of 5
The 1.85:1 anamorphic video appears more like it has been opened up a bit to fill the 1.78:1 widescreen frame. This is an acceptable transfer, as comedies go. Flesh tones are accurate, black levels are acceptable, but there is a softness to the image overall. The print used is free of dirt and debris, and compression artifacts are minimal and not distracting.
Audio: 3 out of 5
Encoded at 448 kbps, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is a typical comedy mix, very front-heavy with music and atmosphere occasionally bleeding to the surrounds. Dialogue is intelligible, and bass response is adequate, but don’t expect much LFE.
Special Features: 2.5 out of 5
Taking a cue from the Judd Apatow book of DVD authoring, on the surface it appears this disc is chock full of extras. Unfortunately, quantity does not equate to quality in this case.
Commentary by Director John Hamburg, Paul Rudd, and Jason Segel: These three guys are good friends, and that comes through in this commentary track. However, the three often get so caught up in their conversations that they miss what is happening on-screen and don’t provide as much insight into the filmmaking process as one usually hopes for.
The Making of I Love You, Man: The 18 minute featurette quickly covers the development and production of the movie, featuring interviews with the cast and crew.
Extras: Nine scenes are featured with alternate, improvised dialogue,which gets old very fast.
Extended Scenes: Six scenes are presented in their original, longer form.
Deleted Scenes: Three scenes left in their entirety on the cutting room floor.
Gag Reel: Just over eleven minutes of goofs and flubbed lines.
Easter Egg: An additional deleted scene can be found by highlighting the headlight on the Vespa on the Special Features menu. It is not the easter egg promised in the commentary.
Overall: 3 out of 5
A likeable comedy with some of today’s top comedic talent and a decent presentation are enough to warrant a recommendation, even though the extras are a bit disappointing.
