I Love You, Man

We went to the movies on Saturday--the first time in several months--to see I Love You, Man. We both really like Paul Ruud and think he's sexy, but, to tell the truth, I think Jason Segal ran away with the movie. I expressed this opinion to my wife after the film and, while she agreed, she attributed Ruud's lesser performance to the fact that he was required to deliver quite a few more stupid lines than Segal was asked to deliver.

Our local newspaper critic awarded the film 3-1/2 stars (out of 4), but we decided that it deserved a solid 3 stars. Parts of the film made me squirm in my seat, especially the frank discussion of masturbation. Who the hell wants to be sitting next to his wife when the guy on screen talks about masturbation?

Nevertheless, I identified completely with Ruud's character, Peter. I'm exactly like he is-- lacking any male friends, clueless about hetero male culture (as personified by Segal's character, Sydney), uptight, and much more comfortable around women.

The film definitely takes some chances, bends some stereotypes, and, while a bit formulaic, is not completely predictable. Ultimately, the performances by the film's stars save the day.