'I Love You, Man' review

Paul Rudd and Jason Segel (Credit: Scott Garfield/Paramount)

It's not just a juvenile insult; realtor Peter (Paul Rudd) literally has no friends. When his fiancée Zooey's (Rashida Jones) friends warn her that a man with no friends will become too clingy, Peter sets out on a variety of frequently uncomfortable man-dates to find a pal and maybe a best man. Of course, Zooey feels left out after Peter hits it off with Sydney (Jason Segel) and the two start doing seemingly everything together.

The buzz: Director/co-writer John Hamburg didn't exactly impress anyone with the gross-out clichés of his last directorial effort, "Along Came Polly." But the can't-miss combo of Rudd and Segel (who worked together on "Knocked Up" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), an all-around awesome cast (also featuring Andy Samberg, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, J.K. Simmons and Jane Curtin) and the awkwardness-embracing premise means this sounds more like a Judd Apatow movie than "Polly" or Hamburg's other big writing efforts, "Meet the Parents/Fockers."

The verdict: Who knew Hamburg had it in him? Sure, Apatow would never write fringe characters as one-note as Joe Lo Truglio's "High-Voiced Guy" or Thomas Lennon's wounded gay man. But the stuff that's front and center in "I Love You, Man" is consistently hilarious. Rudd and Segel, an ideal comic pair, play off each other perfectly as a soft soul who never learned how to bond with dudes and the bro of all bros who's also just a legitimately good guy. Together they mine the odd nature of male relationships for maximum, painful discomfort while exploring the real bond that exists beneath made-up slang and the not-so-periodic faux pas.

Did you know? Peter demonstrates that if you're trying to make a good impression with a new group of guys, throwing up all over the host during a drinking game is not the way to do it. Really, did anyone need to be taught that?

Video: Watch Matt's review of 'I Love You, Man'

Also: See Rudd and Segel's guidelines for a proper bromance

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