I Love You, Man Blu-Ray Review

The Movie

The last several years, we've been treated to an onslaught of "comedies" where the formula for funny was nothing more than crude humor, profanity-laden tirades, or gross-out gags. Even the current man when it comes to comedies, Judd Apatow, has fallen victim to the modern comedic formula in most of his ventures.

Then, along came I Love You, Man. A movie which, by all rights, could have followed a very tried and true formula, and made a decent amount of money. But instead of that, director/writer John Hamburg took the romantic comedy genre, and turned it on its head by making it a bromantic comedy.

To say that I Love You, Man is one of the best comedies of the year would be offensive to the movie -- because it's one of the best comedies of the last decade. The movie centers around Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a man who's always had more girl friends than guy friends, and his impending wedding. The problem? He doesn't have any actual friends who can form his wedding party, let alone his best man. So he goes on a series of "man dates" to try and make a bro. After a series of awkward but hilarious ventures, he ends up meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) and true bromance begins to bloom.

The charm of I Love You, Man isn't in the obvious jokes that could be made; take almost any other modern comedy director, and 90% of the movie would probably be based on getting laughs by putting the two leads in borderline gay situations, and then laughing at the whacky way these hetero men deal with it. Instead, the charm comes from the realistic way in which Rudd portrays Peter, and the incredible dialog between him, Sydney, and Peter's fiancee, Zooey (Rashida Jones).

I Love You, Man is also carried in part by the supporting cast. JK Simmons is great as Peter's dad, and Andy Samberg is great playing Peter's gay brother who's trying to "hook him up" with friends. Lou Ferrigno, Rashida Jones, and Rob Huebel, Aziz Ansari, and Thomas Lennon also provide great performances.

If you're a fan of comedy, then you'll love I Love You, Man. The jokes are well-executed, the dialog is funny, and the situations that arise transcend cultural, gender, and age bounds. Apatow may have created many memorable comedies, but I Love You, Man is the first comedy in ages that can truly be considered a comedy classic for viewers of all backgrounds.

If it has any faults, it's that it's assuredly going to spawn an onslaught of future bromantic comedies. Let's just hope that, for once, Hollywood doesn't run an idea into the ground simply because someone else pulled it off damn well.

Film Score: 4.5/5

The Disc

Audio and Video

I Love You, Man arrives on Blu with a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Not a movie for the visual junkies, the colors and lighting lend the movie a realistic-looking tone, but there's nothing reference-quality in here to show off. It's a comedy centered around real people, and the visual presentation makes them look as real as you can get, being shown on a TV screen.

The sound, meanwhile, is on the edge of average-to-below-average. A comedy, once again this isn't the movie's strongsuit; but it feels far too front-heavy with the dialog, and almost nothing going on in the scenes around it. Even in scenes such as the Rush concert and in crowds, there's very little environmental noise, with a majority coming through the 2 channels. The audio is clear the whole movie, and there's none of the annoying remote-jockeying to keep the sound manageable. Essentially, it's good enough to get you through the movie, but not what you'd expect when you see that it's 5.1 surround.

Video Score: 4/5

Audio Score: 2.5/5

Extras

The extras are exactly what you'd expect of a movie like this. The commentary, provided by Hamburg, Rudd, and Segel, is easily the high point. If you're a fan of learning technical details about movies, this commentary isn't for you. Instead, Rudd, Segel, and Hamburg provide background into scenes, often making fun of each other, joking, or talking about unrelated things. As a source for knowledge, it lacks; as a source for entertainment, it rocks.

Other extras include the mandatory deleted and extended scenes. Most of these are so-so, with the most memorable deleted scene being a longer take of the wedding scene at the end. Rather than focus on just Peter and Sydney, this scene has many others piping in in quick cut form. The discussion of Johnny Depp (during a wedding ceremony!) is especially entertaining.

The gag reel -- another comedy must -- is a little slow to begin, but ends up picking up pace about halfway through.

My favorite extra is, ironically, called Extras. It's a quick cut collection of alternate takes and improved lines from the movie, and it really shows off how funny the actors are even without a script.

Extras Score: 3/5

Verdict

In case you didn't get it from reading this far, I'll say it clearly: I Love You, Man is a modern comedy classic. It combines social commentary, witty dialog, and great characters in a way that can be enjoyed by a broad audience like no other movie this decade. If you like laughing, it's a must-own. Even if you don't, it's a must-watch. Especially with all of the bromantic comedies that will assuredly be released from here on out.

Overall Score: 4/5

(must-own)

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