I Love You, Man

In this odd couple buddy comedy, fine comic actor Paul Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a mild-mannered real-estate broker who's eager to wed fiancée Zooey (Rashida Jones) but is missing a best man since he's always preferred the company of women over men. While assiduously cultivating friendships with likely prospects, Peter meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a freewheeling entrepreneur who encourages the uptight realtor to loosen up and have more fun. Not surprisingly, Zooey eventually begins to resent Peter's newfound pal and things start heading south. Director and co-writer John Hamburg surrounds his stars with exceptionally accomplished and gifted comedic actors, including Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressly, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Thomas Lennon, and Rob Huebel (even ex-Hulk Lou Ferrigno gets a laugh when he puts Sydney in a sleeper hold). But Rudd and Segel are more than capable of carrying the film by themselves—eliciting a steady stream of chuckles with understated line readings, throwaway ad-libs, and character-revealing body language—while Jones makes up for her lack of comedy chops by being adorable (supremely untalented SNL-er Andy Samberg, on the other hand, is dead weight as Peter's gay younger brother). Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director John Hamburg and costars Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, alternate scene takes (23 min.), a “making-of” featurette (18 min.), extended scenes (13 min.), a gag reel (12 min.), three minutes of deleted scenes, Easter eggs, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning comedy.] (E. Hulse)